Love California
by californiaucla
Summary: Bella and her brother, Emmett, head off to UCLA for college. The minute her and Edward meet they instantly become friends. But can Bella keep it that way? Does Edward want her to? College is a rush. You'll soon find out!
1. College

**So this is my second fanfic. My first one, Moon Rose, wasn't so successful and frankly, I wasn't so interested anymore. This story is all about how I want my college experience to be. And I really like writing and reading it. I already have a couple more chapters written but I wanna see what kind of response I get from this chapter alone. I'm thinking I want about 10 reviews before I put up the next chapter. So make sure EVERYONE who reads this reviews. It's that big green button at the end of this chapter. Here's a better summary because I don't think the main summary is sufficient enough to keep you guys interested.**

_Bella and her brother, Emmett, head off to college at UCLA. Bella gets two new roommates and so does Emmett. One of Emmett's roommates is Edward Cullen, freshman first-string quarterback for the UCLA Bruins football team, very smart, pre-med major, and incredibly handsome. Edward really doesn't know how to deal with girls who throw themselves at him so he makes out with them to get rid of them. This repulses Bella but after finding out Edward has never had a female friend before, Bella decides to give it a try. The challenge now is whether she can keep it that way. And it's not so easy when not only Edward is starting to show some genuine interest, but she's starting to feel something too. A college love story, filled with college fun, greek life, and a lot of sweet romance. _

* * *

Mom, I can't believe we're finally here!" I exclaimed to my mom over the phone. My brother, Emmett, and I were driving in my car while my parents were driving the Toyota that held all our stuff. My car would never hold everything we were bringing, even if it wasn't much.

We just entered the campus and were greeted by the chaos of hundreds of students trying to move into their dorms. It was _college_. It's where I've been waiting to go since I was in the sixth grade. We drove on, waiting, impatiently on my behalf, in the horrid traffic that was surrounding the campus. This must be the most hellish day for all staff.

Today was move-in day at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), the college Emmett and I would be attending for the next four years of our lives. It was my dream school. I've wanted to go here ever since my freshman year of high school. I've always wanted to live in California. It was the complete opposite of my humdrum home back in New Jersey where it was cold 60% of the time. Cold wasn't my biggest fan. All through eighth grade I begged my parents to move to California. It was unethical and stupid but I was that desperate. Obviously my parents wouldn't let us move because I was already situated in a good high school, my dad had just started his new business, and my mother and brother just didn't want to leave. My mom finally said I could only move to California when I was an adult. So, here I am, 18 years old, legal adult, and moving into my dorm in California.

"Sweetie, you don't have to sound too ecstatic that you're leaving us, especially since you're taking your brother with you," my mom said bitterly. She wasn't too thrilled with the fact that my brother and I moving 3,000 miles away from my family and most of the blame is put on my shoulders because it was my decision to come here. She thinks I'm doing this because I couldn't stand my family. I never understood how she came to this conclusion considering I've never shown indication of hating my family.

"Mom, please don't start this again," I whispered into the phone. I didn't want Emmett to hear the conversation. The arguments back at home were horrible and I knew he hated my mom and me fighting about the college issue. Emmett was not incredibly ambitious. While I was already thinking about college the minute we started high school, he could barely register the fact that we were out of middle school. I was 10 minutes older than him so I always figured I was the more responsible one. We got onto each others' nerves every now and then but we were close. He was my best friend. We couldn't even think about spending four years apart so we decided to apply to the same schools and go to the one I picked. That was fine with Emmett, especially since he liked my decision. He still thinks California's a vision of hot girls.

"Well, why else would you want to move so far away? To think, to _think_, you could've been going to John Hopkins, studying pre-med, interacting with intelligent people, and you would've been closer to home. Yes, you would've been away from Emmett but you would've had _opportunity. _Instead, you choose to come to a mediocre school, thousands of miles away, and spend your time with _these _people? Look at these people! Look at these girls! Do they think their doing any good by walking around in those bikinis? They're inviting trouble!"

"Mom! They're going to the beach! Can't you see their surfboards? And this is not a mediocre school! It's the best school in California! Not including Stanford. It's considered a mini-Ivy. And I'm _still _studying pre-med. And don't you know? Doctors who work in New York or California make the most money."

"Then why can't you go to school in New York? You could've gone to Columbia! Emmett got in over there too!" she exclaimed on the phone.

"Mom! When are you gonna get it through your head that I want to go to school here? I've wanted to for the past four years. I've given you four years to prepare for this day. So, can you hang up and let me savor whatever excitement I have left?" I hung up without waiting for her answer. I groaned and slammed the steering wheel. Emmett jumped.

"Bella, calm down! Don't let mom ruin your day. Remember, you've been waiting for this since high school. Four years ago. So chill. Look around, Bella. You're in _California_. This is where you've wanted to live your entire life. And I'm here with you. So live in the moment. Oh, and you might want to drive 'cause your holding up traffic." Emmett pointed ahead and I saw the giant space in front of me and heard the many cars behind me honking violently. I quickly drove and entered the main campus.

There were cars, students, parents, tables, luggage, boxes, and carts _everywhere_. We approached some upperclassmen that were helping out and asked them where I could park. They pointed us to a parking garage where I drove. Once we parked, Emmett and I got out of the car and found mom and dad parked not to far from us. I walked over the car while Emmett went to go get a cart to put all of our suitcases and boxes in. My mom and I did not make eye contact with each other as we unloaded the suitcases and boxes out of the car and into the blue and gold cart Emmett had brought.

My dad wheeled the cart out of the parking garage and soon we were engulfed in a sea of frantic students and even more frantic parents. We walked up to a table that was labeled "Registration M-T". There was a blonde girl who struck me as a stereotypical California girl. Blonde hair, blue eyes, big boobs, designer clothes that bared more than a slight amount of cleavage, and a little too much eye makeup. She carried herself more as a male sex appeal rather than beautiful.

"Hello, my name is Lauren," she said in a bored tone. "Please state your last name."

"Swan," Emmett and I said at the same time. We chuckled and I saw Lauren slightly roll her eyes as she crossed our names off on the check-in list. She muttered something under her breath.

"What was that?" I asked sweetly. One word was flashing through my mind. Bitch.

She finally looked up at us and her eyes immediately moved to Emmett. She flashed a smile dripping with sweetness and what I assumed was sexiness. It didn't look too sexy to me and judging by the way Emmett's face looked, it didn't look so hot to him either. I wasn't going to lie. Emmett was handsome. He had deep brown eyes and dark curly hair. It was weird in high school because every girl, even my friends, would gush about how hot he was. He was Mr. Popular in school. He was funny, sweet, rebellious, and the star linebacker of our football team. He got a football scholarship to this school which only added to the list of reasons we should come here. I was here on academic scholarship. Emmett was also _extremely _muscular. I felt safe knowing he would always be there because I knew that if any guy messed with me he would kick their asses. Although we were twins, I always felt Emmett got the lucky end of the stick. I was Ms. Plain-Jane in high school. Every girl my brother went out with started out as my friend. I was always surprised these girls would try my friend because they were the popular ones. Then I would find out they were only there to get close to Emmett and once they got what they wanted I would be dumped.

"Oh, um, nothing," she said, still smiling ridiculously big. She went through a large filing bin and pulled out two folders.

"These are your orientation folders. Freshman orientation starts tomorrow. It has the itinerary and the brochures in there detailing every class we offer. Also included in your folders are your Bruin card applications that you filled out when received you registration kits back in May, dorm assignments, and your dorm key. Our dorms use card-keys. Give the Bruin card application to the guy who takes your student I.D. pictures. He's the one who activates them for you. Any questions?" she asked looking at Emmett. Emmett looked uncomfortable so I decided to save him.

"I have a question," I said. She reluctantly turned her head away from Emmett and looked at me.

"Yes?" she asked in a strained voice.

"Are the names of our roommates included with the dorm assignments?"

"They should be next to your dorm number on the paper."

"Cool! C'mon Bells. Let's look over there," he said pointing to a tree far away from Lauren. I got his hint and we quickly ran over, leaving our parents behind us. We were tearing through our folders, trying to find the dorm assignment paper. I found mine and pulled it out as Emmett pulled his out too. We spent a couple of minutes reading it until we looked at each other.

"Are you in a triple?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah. Who're you rooming with?" I asked.

"Some dudes named Edward Cullen and Jasper Whitlock. I think I remember their names from the football roster,"

"They probably did that on purpose. You know, I hear the football schedule's like super messed up so they probably put you together so you didn't have to worry about compromise," I said.

"Makes sense. What about you?" he asked.

"Um, Alice Cullen and Rosalie Hale," I said. I looked back at the paper and then back at Emmett.

"You think the Cullens are related?" he asked.

"Probably. We'll find out. C'mon, we gotta get our ID pictures taken and then we can meet out roommates."

We waited in the excruciating long line to get our IDs. It was especially irritating to see all the girls checking Emmett out. A few brave ones came and flirted with him. It was the same thing over and over again. It was like a universal method for all slutty girls. Smile, introduced yourself, say where you were from, ask where he was from, comment on something that was indigenous to that town, laugh hysterically at whatever lame joke he made, place your palm on his chest, still laughing, and bend down far enough to show just the right amount of cleavage. Then, when it was time to leave, you would subtly slip your number to his back pocket, which also gave you the advantage of feeling his ass. And let me tell you, it is _not _comfortable seeing some girl touching your brother's ass. There was one girl in particular I couldn't stand. She introduced herself as Jessica Stanley. She was at the "laugh at lame joke" part when I couldn't stand it anymore and left to go get some of the free lemonade they were giving out. When I came back with two glasses, I saw she was at the "slip your number in his back pocket" part and I knew I couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, sweetie! Here's your lemonade. Hope you weren't waiting _too _long," I said sweetly as I handed him his lemonade and placed my hand on his shoulder. I looked back and smirked at Jessica. She looked like she was just slapped across the face.

"You have a girlfriend?" she asked Emmett, forcing a smile on her face. I dug my nails into Emmett's shoulder. It was an awkward trick but I've played the card before and it was effective. Every time a girl I _really _didn't like flirted with Emmett I would play the girlfriend card. The first time I tried it Emmett freaked out so much he wouldn't talk to me that night. But we were used to it now. And Emmett respected my opinion when it came to girls.

"Yup. Been dating three years now. I followed her to college. Couldn't stand to be away," he said, putting his arm around my shoulder casually.

"Oh. So you're that serious, huh?" she asked disappointedly.

"Yeah. So if you don't mind, would you please remove your hand from my ass?" Jessica didn't realize her hand was still in his back pocket and she pulled it away so fast you would've thought Emmett was the plague. She walked away in a huff. Emmett looked down at me. Even as twins he was still several inches taller than me. Him at 6'2" and me at 5'6".

"Seriously, you've gotta stop doing that. It gives me the creeps." I laughed.

"Oh, come on, Emmett. Look at her! If the word 'slut' had a picture next to it, it would be her on a stripper's pole which she probably took herself."

"How do you know she has a stripper's pole?" he asked immaturely.

"Grow up," I snapped. We finally made it too the front of the line and took our pictures. Mine wasn't too bad and I was happy. And Emmett was always a photogenic person so no doubt his was flawless.

"This is your ID which you will need to access student facilities," a student volunteer said handing mine and Emmett's IDs to us, "And these are your Bruin cards. They are according to your meal plans. You can use them at any dining hall or restaurant on campus. Even coffee houses."

We were handed our cards along with our dorm keys which were activated and set off to our dorms. Emmett and I were living in different housing communities which was a disappointment but it was only a five minute walk to each one. I was living in the Sunset Village in the Delta Terrace buildings while Emmett was in the De Neve Plaza. My brother, being the gentleman that he was, decided to first load all of my things into my dorm even though we were closer to De Neve. We rolled the cart over while I took in my surroundings.

It was amazing. There were eight buildings that made up the whole complex. Each were different residential buildings. Delta Terrace was a series of white buildings that were arranged in a triangle, which is probably why they named it after the Greek letter Delta, which is a triangle. In the middle of the plaza was a leisure area that didn't look so leisurely now. There were people everywhere bringing suitcases and boxes in and out of the building.

In one trip we were able to get all my stuff to my dorm. On the door was a white board that read "Isabella Swan, Alice Cullen & Rosalie Hale" in elegant calligraphy. I smiled seeing my name on the door, signaling it was mine. We opened the door.

The dorm wasn't anything special. It was a bit cramped for three people but still amenable. Each bed had a small desk next to it and a closet for each student. There was a large half cork half white-board on the wall next to the door but unfortunately there was no private bathroom which meant I would have to share with the other girls on this floor. And it didn't help that this was a co-ed dorm. I was just happy I didn't have to room with a guy. I have boundaries. I ran to the window. We only had one. But we had a beautiful view of the rest of the residential hill along with the campus and the city of Los Angeles in the background. No smog, no pollution. Just blue skies and sunshine.

"Well, should we start unpacking? We still need to see Emmett's dorm and we have a long drive back," my mother said briskly. I sighed exasperatedly.

"Mom, after today you're not going to see me until December. Don't you want to spend a _few _minutes with me?" I asked hopelessly.

"Well, if you went to Hopkins or Columbia I'd be seeing you much more frequently," she said under her breath. I was about to counteract when my dad interrupted.

"Renee, just let it go. It's done. I already paid my deposit for the both of them so they're here for the next two years until I have to pay the second deposit. Then you can fret about whether you want them to transfer or not." My mom just huffed and started taking things out of my suitcase. I put my hand over hers to stop her.

"What? Now you don't even want me to help you unpack?" she asked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

"No, Mom. I don't want to unpack yet. I want to wait for my roommate. Just because I got here first doesn't mean I should get first pick on which bed I want. First impressions are everything and as a good roommate I am open to compromise."

"Well, looks like this girl isn't," Emmett said from the bed by the door. "Look." He handed me a card that had very neat handwriting on it.

_This bed is mine. I slept by the door at home, I sleep by the door in college. No one is to claim this bed. I will not be there until tomorrow because I'm not allowed to meet my roommates during that time. Can't explain why. Something with my parents. Anyway, I'll be around campus though although I probably won't know you since we haven't met. Again, don't take the bed. Am looking forward to rooming with you. ~Rosalie Hale_

"Wow. Wonder why anyone would go through so much trouble just to get a bed," I thought out loud,

"Wonder why she's not allowed to meet her roommates now. I mean, isn't that the best part of the college experience?" Emmett asked.

"Maybe it's a religious thing. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I want the bed next to the window. Slept by the window at home, sleeping by the window in college," I said, imitating Rosalie's words. I sat back down on the bed I wanted and we waited for five minutes before Mom started to get restless.

"How can they be so inconsiderate being late like this? Check-in was half and hour ago!" Mom vented.

"Mom, relax. They probably had a long drive," I said reassuringly.

"Yeah, and besides, Mom. I'm not in a rush. I wanna meet my sis's roommates. I think it's important to know who she's gonna be living with for the next year."

"Emmett, stop being such a gusher!" I exclaimed, punching his arm. I was so lucky to have a brother like him. Even though I was older, he acted more like my big brother, just like I protected him like a big sister.

"Yes, but didn't we have long drive too? We drove _cross-country_, for Christ's sake! And we still managed to get here on time!"

"Wait," my dad said, looking at the door.

"Edward, get your tongue out of the bitch's mouth!" a girl yelled in the hallway.

"Alice! Watch your tongue! I _know _I didn't raise you to speak like that," a woman scolded.

"But look at him, Mom! College hasn't even started yet and he's already hooking up with the first girl he meets at _my _dorm? It's embarrassing! Ugh, it's like high school all over again," the girl moaned.

"We'll have your father talk to him, okay? Now come on. We're already late and I'm sure your roommate is waiting."

Two people walked into my dorm just then. One was a gorgeous girl who was incredibly small and had short, spiked up pixie hair. She was dressed in fabulous designer clothes and was carrying a box that was twice her size. I went over to help.

"Here, let me get that," I said taking the box from her. It was really heavy so I handed it to Emmett who placed it on the desk next to the last unoccupied bed.

"Thank you so much," the little pixie said. She brushed of her clothes and turned to smile at me. "Hi, I'm Alice and I'm guessing by the white board on our door, you're either Rosalie or Isabella."

"Bella," I corrected, extending my hand to her as she shook it twice. For a small person she had quite the grip.

"This is my mother, Esme," she said, pointing to a beautiful lady. She had soft caramel hair that fell just past her shoulders in gentle waves and was wearing a simple yet elegant powder blue dress. She had a slim figure but it was full. But it was her smile that caught my attention. It was so full of love that she looked like the ideal mother. The complete opposite of my mom, who was where black slacks, a white blouse, her brown hair pulled up into a severe bun, and a scowl on her face because of our late visitors.

"Nice to meet you," she said, extending a hand. I shook it. Her hands were soft.

"Nice to meet you, too. These are my parents, Renee and Charlie Swan, and my brother, Emmett," I said, pointing to my family behind me. Esme shook everyone's hand while Alice nodded. Emmett walked up to Alice.

"Hey Alice. So we'll be seeing a lot each other considering I'm going here too. Just want to give you a friendly hello." He engulfed into one of his giant bear hugs. With both their sizes, I couldn't even see Alice for a couple of seconds.

"Emmett, don't suffocate her!" I yelled, laughing. He placed her down gently and backed up. Alice's face was beet red.

"Well, you're awfully friendly. Where're you rooming?" she asked.

"Down at the De Neve Plaza at Acacia/Birch," he answered.

"Oh my God! My cousin Edward is rooming there!" she answered delightedly.

"Wait. Edward Cullen?" Emmett asked looking at his dorm papers.

"Yeah."

"He's one of my roommates," Emmett said.

"Oh that's so cool!" Alice stuck her head out the door. "Edward! Detach the slut and get over here! Your roommate is here!"

"Alice!" Esme scolded.

"Sorry, Mom. But you gotta admit, right?" Esme smiled at my parents apologetically.

"Sometimes I wonder if keeping my kids in LA is the right thing to do. I grew up on a farm so I'm not that used to these LA customs as my kids and husband are."

"So you're from around here?" my mom asked.

"Oh, yes. About fifteen minutes from here," Esme said.

"We're up in Beverley Hills," Alice added. I heard Emmett's mouth pop open as I stared at her with my eyebrows raised.

"Oh, wow. Um, what do you do?" I asked Esme.

"Not me. I'm just the stay-at-home-mom. It's my husband. He works in television," she explained.

"Cool. What does he do?"

"He works for the show _House_. He's a doctor and has had no ambition of becoming an actor even though people constantly tell him to put himself out there considering where we live and how he looks."

"How he looks?" I asked confused. Esme laughed.

"You'll understand when you see him. He and Edward will be here soon. Anyway, since the show requires a lot of medical knowledge he helps write the script so that the show is medically accurate. When he writes that part of the script the actual screenplay writers go in and make it more interesting for TV. Otherwise the show would be like attending a medical lecture. Carlisle makes sure they don't exaggerate anything too much so that something is incorrect. Medicine is not precise but it's not sparse either." I couldn't believe it. I was rooming with the daughter of the man who co-writes all the episodes of my favorite TV show.

"_House _is my favorite show. Me and Emmett have to fight over the remote every time it's on. He doesn't like it too much. He's more of a _Law and Order_ kind of guy," I said, smiling. Emmett frowned.

"It's not that I don't like it. It's just­--"

"You don't understand what's going on, yeah, yeah, we get it," I said, dismissing him.

"Do you understand it?" Alice asked me.

"Yeah. I'm actually--"

"She's doing pre-med here," my mom interceded, placing her hand proudly on my shoulder.

"Well, good for you! Medicine is a prestigious field and actually, according to Carlisle, UCLA is a great school for pre-med," Esme said. _Told you Mom, _I thought you myself. My mother forced a smile on her face.

"Yes, but not as good as John Hopkins," she said, still smiling. Esme face fell slightly.

"Yes, I agree John Hopkins is a great school. I believe, though, it's even better for medical school. UCLA is an overall great college and can offer a real college experience for undergrads. I mean, you don't want to be buried in books throughout your college experience," Esme politely argued. My mom's face was now so ridiculously strained her façade was literally shaking.

"Well, I'm absolutely sure you can get a real college experience at John Hopkins. I mean, why else would the more ambitious kids go there?" my mom countered in a sour sweet voice.

"Are you implying—"

"Okay!" I interrupted as soon as I heard Esme's voice starting to rise. "Alice, Emmett, and I are going to go downstairs real fast to see if there are any fliers about our dorm." We quickly fled the room and ran to the elevator. As soon as we were in I turned to Alice.

"Alice, I'm so sorry about that. My mom's just kinda mad that we're not going to her school of choice."

"Yeah, Alice. Our mom's super stubborn but after today or tomorrow she'll be gone," Emmett added.

"You guys, don't worry about it. My mom gets sort of defensive when it comes to this school. She's an alumni and she says she had the best years of her life here. I couldn't say no to her when she asked me to go to this school because she's so passionate about it. I don't mind though. UCLA's a great school and I couldn't bear to leave LA," Alice said. We exited the elevators. There were girls everywhere bringing their stuff in, meeting friends, making friends, leaving to explore the campus, or going to the beach. Those girls were in bikinis, which Emmett happened to like a lot.

"I love college," he said under his breath.

"Perv," I said as I hit his chest with the back of my hand. He laughed and put his arm around my shoulder. I playfully shoved him away but Emmett's gesture earned me an evil eye from an incredibly attractive blonde who was listening to what I assumed was an upperclassman talking about dorm life.

We sat at a table in the center of the "traud" as Emmett went to go get us something to eat. The traud, as it was called affectionately by the students, is what would be a quad at the center of the dorms but since the formation of the dorm buildings makes a triangular center the phrase "triangular quad" was shortened to traud.

"So where are you guys from?" Alice asked.

"New Jersey. Nothing glamorous like you. Just a normal suburban house in a normal suburban town. I went to a normal high school where all the girls bitched to everyone and all the guys were either jerks or freaks."

"Hey. Sometimes suburbia is a good thing. I went to a high school in Beverly Hills and what I learned was that high school was always a competition. Who's got the best car, who's got the best body, who's dating the hottest guy, who's got the best clothes, who's got the most money. It's all the same. And sometimes, it got to a point where people would take it so seriously they would do everything it took to come out on top, whether it was to blow all your money or lose all of your self-respect."

"Did you ever come out on top?" I asked.

"Not often. Just when it came to clothes. And the truth was I designed most of the clothes I wore. When people would ask who made it, because it was never where you got it, I'd make up some random designer. Most designer clothes, that's the title I got. That's why I'm majoring in fashion design. I want to start my own line. If girls who are so used to wearing Chanel or Prada like my designs then I must be good. Could you see it? _Oh my God, did you see the new Cullen bag? I'm wearing Cullen. Cullen is showcasing at Fashion Week in New York_. That's my goal. To be able to own a shop on Fifth Avenue in New York. But that's a far stretch. Right now my goal is to open a store in the mall. And if I can get something on Rodeo Drive right here in LA then Fifth Avenue won't come far after that." Alice smiled as she hovered in her dreamland for a few more seconds.

"Wow. And then I can tell everyone I roomed with the famous Alice Cullen. I'll know someone famous!" I exclaimed. We both laughed.

"So tell me. What's it like having a twin brother? And a cute one at that," she said smiling in the direction Emmett walked off.

"Ugh. I don't think I can go anywhere without someone telling me how hot my brother is," I said rolling my eyes. Alice frowned.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable," she said sincerely.

"No, no, no, no, no! Don't worry about it. It's fine and perfectly natural. It's just all through high school my brother was Chace Crawford or something and I was…Alexis Bledel."

"Who?" Alice asked.

"Exactly," I said. And then I sighed. "You know. From Gilmore Girls. Or that Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie. She was always the shy and quiet one who was kinda pretty but never really popular. Well, that was me. I'm not gonna exaggerate and say that I'm ugly. But I'm no Megan Fox. And I was never really social with many people and I was always used to get to Emmett."

"Yeah, but didn't Alexis Bledel turn badass in Gilmore Girls or something? Like in the later seasons?" Alice asked.

"Not the point! I just, I don't know, never came out on top."

"I'm thinking Emmett is more of an Adam Brody except more buff," Alice mused.

"Alice!"

"What? Okay, okay, I know. Awkward. So, did you ever have any boyfriends?"

"Not really. I dated casually. Nothing serious. Emmett was Mr. Hot-Shot. He dated almost every cheerleader on the squad and then some. He had this one girlfriend, Lindsey, who was a total ho-bag. I'm not gonna go much into detail but let's just say there was a lot of PDA and bruises."

"Your brother abused her?" Alice asked, completely shocked.

"More like the other way around. Emmett is not very responsible. He would be late for dates, forget his wallet, get the wrong coffee, and then he would be rewarded with several beatings by her. _You never do anything right, why can't you be like a normal boyfriend, _and my personal favorite which she performed while I was at the mall with them, _This is a latte! I needed decaf! Caffeine makes me bloat! I can't have sex with you anymore if you make me fat! _Emmett told me later that they never even had sex. In fact, he's still a virgin, as am I," I said proudly.

"Wow. Same here. Well, if you haven't had a serious boyfriend then who did you have your first kiss with?" I tapped my lips.

"Hasn't happened yet. These are virgin lips," I said with a smile. Alice stared in awe.

"Oh my God. You haven't had a first kiss?" I shook my head.

"Not one."

"Then how do you know if you're a good kisser?" she asked.

"I'll hope to God that I am?" I said.

"Well, what if we go to the clubs and flirt with hot guys? I was hoping you'd be my random hookup buddy!"

"Alice, I'm not hooking up with strangers with you," I said sternly.

"Damn right you're not. 'Cause if you do, I'll kick their ass and then quarantine you from guys," Emmett said as he approached our table. He had a bag that smelled like French fries. He handed a carton of French fries to each of us.

"Yeah, 'cause you're one to talk, right Emmett?" I said patronizingly.

"Hey. Just because I'm screwed up doesn't mean I should let my sister get screwed up too," he said defensively.

"Emmett, I'm older than you," I countered.

"By 10 minutes, Bells. We are both still 18 years old and I am the man in this situation therefore I get protection rights," Emmett said with finality. Both Alice and I threw a French fry at him.

"What a sexist," Alice said with a smile.

"Ugh, I know. Let's go, Alice. We don't fraternize with this type," I said jokingly. We got up and started to walk away when Emmett grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.

"Forgive me?" he said in that annoyingly innocent puppy dog voice.

"Ugh, Emmett, we're in _college_. Grow up," I said.

"Peanut butter slap-clap-snap?" he said sticking out his pinky, using our childhood secret handshake. I laughed.

"Now how can I say no to that?" I asked as I hooked my pinky around his.

"You guys are so lucky! I wish I had a twin," Alice sighed. We started walking back to the dorms, hoping my mom and Esme hadn't killed each other.

"Isn't Edward your twin?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Edward is my cousin/adopted brother. His parents, my aunt and uncle, died when he was six. My aunt was my mom's sister. So we took him in. He's my best friend and a pain in my ass at the same time. Sometimes he's an arrogant ass who likes to skip around with girls and then other times he'll be sweet and we'll actually have a moment. That's when I like him best because when he's being nice he really is the nicest person you'll ever meet. All in all though, I know he'll always be there for me. Junior year of high school, his best friend from the football team was messing with me. When Edward saw, five years of friendship flew out the door and he beat the crap out of him. 'When it comes to family, friendship doesn't matter anymore' he said. I guess considering everything he's been through family matters are really important to him. He may mess with people but he will never mess with family."

We were now outside the door of our dorm. I heard a male voice inside that wasn't my father's. I assumed Carlisle joined Esme. We opened the door and went inside. Didn't want to keep the good doctor waiting.

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**So did you like it? Yeah, I know. Renee's a bitch. And Esme's a sweetie. And don't you feel bad for Edward? Losing his parents at such a young age. And I would kill for Carlisle's job. I knew if Carlisle worked at a hospital, even as the head surgeon or something like that, the whole family couldn't live in the spectacular Beverly Hills mansion I'm imagining. So Carlisle works for House. Well, the show House, not House House. lol. Working in Hollywood scores you some major bucks. And I'm sure you're wondering about the peanut butter slap-clap-snap thing. That's mine and my best friend's secret handshake for pinky swears. We made it up when we first met back in third grade. I think it's hilarious. **

**Okkk, so I'm gonna say I want 10 reviews before I post the next chapter. Edward makes his appearance so that should give you some sort of motivation. Meanwhile, I'm continuing writing the 5th chapter. I hope to always be four steps ahead. The more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to write. So get reviewing! And remember to always Love California 3**


	2. Goodbye

**Okkkk, so i didnt feel like waiting for 10 reviews. but i got soo many more story alerts and favorite stories. thanks so much you guys!! just remember, reviews make me really happy and therefore prompt me to write. see? i didn't get any reviews so i didnt make much headway on the 5th chapter. so im pretty sure if you can story alert and favorite this story, you can definitely hit the big green button at the end of the story that says REVIEW. i wasnt sure if you guys deserved this chapter cuz it has edward's first appearance but i was so eager for you guys to read it that i couldnt wait. so you better make up for the reviews. im still looking for 10. enjoy!!!****Goodbye**

* * *

"Oh, you're back. I thought you had gotten lost. I was going to send Edward to go look for you. Bella, Emmett, this is my husband Carlisle and my nephew, Edward," Esme said, place a hand on each of their shoulders. A stunningly handsome man wrapped his arm around Esme's waist. I assumed this was Carlisle, the scripter doctor. Esme wasn't kidding when she said people told him he should go on TV because of his looks. He had two kids in college yet he didn't look a day over twenty-five, thirty at the most. He had blonde hair and a modelesque face. I would've at least expected dark circles under the eyes or some form of exhaustion. Doctors had very demanding schedules. But here he was, youthful as ever, beaming at Emmett and I. But what really caught my attention was the boy standing next to him.

He was unbelievably gorgeous. I didn't even think it was possible to look that attractive. His face was sculpted in such a unique form of perfection. It was made to look dangerous, alluring, seductive, and irresistible. His hair was messy but it was messed in such a way that it worked. He was tall and lanky but there was undeniably some muscular definition there too. And his _eyes_. They were a deep green that made you want to drown in them. Just one glance and I was already melting. I never lost my cool in front of a guy. I felt it showed weakness in a woman. But _him_. It was by far the hardest feat of my life not to get on my knees and bow down to the god in front of me. If the blonde was Carlisle then this was Edward, Alice's ass of a cousin.

"Hey man. I'm Emmett. I guess we'll be rooming together this year," Emmett said, extending his hand to the god. Edward shook it.

"You're Emmett Swan?" he asked.

"That's me," Emmett answered back simply.

"Hey, you're on the football team, right? I remember your name on the roster."

"Yeah. You're looking at UCLA's first-string linebacker," Emmett said proudly.

"That's cool. I finally know another freshman on first-string," Edward said with relief.

"What are you playing?"

"First-string quarterback," Edward answered simply.

"Nice, dude."

"Edward was the star player at West Beverly High School," Alice explained. "He got a scholarship to this school. We felt bad because we could've have easily paid the tuition ourselves and given the scholarship to someone who needed it more but if he didn't take the scholarship he wouldn't have automatically gotten the first-string position. There were only three left. And since the two of you," she looked at Emmett and Edward, "have two of the positions, I'm guessing the third one is going to your other roommate. By the way, is he here yet?"

"No. I checked on my way here. Our DA said he was from Texas. So he's probably just running a bit late. Long drive," Edward said. He looked at me with a questioned look. Alice gasped.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Bella. Edward, this is my roommate, Bella. She's Emmett's sister. I have another roommate but I guess she's not here yet."

"She's not coming until tomorrow. I don't know. Something to do with her parents. She's here though," Emmett said.

"Oh, that's so weird. I wish I knew what she looked like," Alice thought to herself. Edward stepped towards me.

"It's nice to meet you Bella," he said, taking my hand. He had the smoothest hands I had ever felt. I was no longer melting. Burning seemed like a better choice.

"It's, uh, nice to, um, yeah," I said pathetically. I heard Emmett snicker behind me. I stepped back and stepped on his foot. He yelped in pain.

"So what are you majoring in, Edward?" my dad asked.

"I'm pre-med," he said.

"Hoping to follow in your father's footsteps?" Dad asked with a smile.

"Not working for TV. That job is literally hell. I spent the day with Carlisle one afternoon and the whole time these screenplay writers would complain about how boring the scripts were and how they didn't understand them. And they would exaggerate to such a degree that Carlisle would almost have to rewrite the script. And then the writers would make _medical _suggestions as to what should happen! They act as if Carlisle has never been to medical school before. They don't realize that without him, _House _wouldn't be one of the most popular shows on Fox TV." I stared at him in surprise. A simple no would've been satisfactory. But it was nice to see how defensive he was about Carlisle.

"As you can see, my nephew does not approve of my job even though it pays for everything he now owns," Carlisle said jokingly. Edward frowned.

"You could be one of the most respected doctors in LA, even California!" Edward exclaimed.

"Well, thank you for your support, Edward. It really does mean a lot," Carlisle said affectionately.

"You know Edward, Bella is pre-med also. So you might have some classes together," Esme said.

"Well, I hope we do. It would be nice to know people in class. And if we do have a class at least I'll have someone to sit next to," Edward said warmly. I almost shivered at the thought. Sitting in three-hour lectures next to Edward? I don't think I would mind too much. I might get a bit distracted though.

"Okay, I think it's time we go see the boys' dorm. Maybe your roommate arrived," my mom said. She was getting impatient. She didn't like to stay in one place for too long. The car ride here was hell for her.

"Yeah, okay. Let's go," Emmett said. He looked at me and Alice. "Are you guys coming?" I looked at Alice. And then we looked back at the giant mess of boxes, suitcases, and other miscellaneous items behind us.

"Um, I think we should set things up here first. How about after we say goodbye to the parents we'll meet you guys at your dorm and then we can all go out for dinner. We can also meet your other roommate. That fine, Alice?" I asked,

"Sounds cool to me," she said with a shrug.

"Your father and I will be leaving once we set up Emmett. I've have him call you and you can meet us there," my mom told me. She left the room alone and after a brief second my father followed.

"Alice, sweetie, we'll probably leave at the same time so why don't you come down with Bella. We'll say goodbye to all of you," Esme said.

"Okay, mom," said Alice. Esme kissed her forehead and Carlisle gave her a hug before they left. Once they did Alice flopped down on her bed. I just stared at her.

"What?" she asked.

"You are so lucky to have parents like that. My mom is literally walking coal and my dad does nothing but follow. My mom is so stubborn. I swear, she won't be happy until she gets what she wants." I flopped down on my bed and buried my head in a pillow.

"Well, what does she want?" Alice asked.

"She wants me and Emmett to go to a different school," I said into my pillow. I turned to face Alice. "Namely John Hopkins. She wanted Emmett to go to Columbia. We'd be closer to home and going to higher class schools. She doesn't care what's offered at the schools. She just wants to brag to the friends she supposedly has."

"Wow. All that drama just for college? I don't think it's worth it. On your mom's part, at least. My parents are super open. They were actually looking at Cambridge University in England but I decided to stay in LA and so did Edward. So it all worked out." Alice got off her bed and started to unpack. I quickly got up.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I completely forgot. Do you mind me taking this bed?" I asked pointing to the one I was sitting on. "I just really wanted the bed by the window but if you want it it's totally yours. I didn't want to be rude and claim first. Being roommates mean compromise, right?"

"Definitely. And yeah, you can have that bed. I honestly couldn't care less. I was gonna take the last available bed anyway. Sleeping arrangements don't matter much to me," she said, continuing to unpack.

"Thanks." I started to unpack my own stuff. The differences between my side of the room and hers were _very _different. I had gone for a more contemporary blue and green theme. It was modest with a white sheet with blue and green pin stripes and a blue comforter with green pillows. I hung my own corkboard on the wall next to my bed. It was filled with pictures of my high school friends, singers that I admired, movie posters of my favorite movies, and more pictures of me and Emmett. My desk was simple. It consisted of my laptop, a pencil holder, my printer, and a double-connecting picture frame. One picture was a family picture and the other was of me and Emmett.

Alice, on the other hand, had decorated her side to look like a pink frosted cupcake. Her bed had white and pink sheets with a giant fluffy looking pink comforter and giant pink pillows. She even put a pink gauzy material on top of the comforter. A decorative accent, she called it. At the foot of her bed was a fuzzy pink rug. On her wall was a collage of Abercrombie and Fitch bags that featured attractive male models chiseled to perfection. One section of her wall was dedicated to pictures of her and her friends and her and Edward. I thought Edward should be on the wall of Abercrombie models. Her desk had her laptop on it, pink of course, a pink desk lamp, and a basket that looked like it was meant for papers and folders.

"Wow Alice. I think you've been watching too much _Legally Blonde_," I said jokingly. Alice laughed.

"That was when this all started though. I saw the movie when I was 11 and I thought to myself, Elle Woods was a rich California girl. She was a sorority girl and had a hot boyfriend. And despite everything that happened to her and the reputation she held, she defied everyone by getting into Harvard Law and became one of Massachusetts's greatest lawyers."

"So you want to be Elle Woods?" I asked skeptically.

"I want to be the Elle Woods version of a fashion designer. And it all starts with the color pink." She smoothed out the gauze on her bed. I giggled.

"Well, to each her own, I guess." We sat in silence for a minute. And then Alice spoke.

"So are you rushing?"

"What?" I asked stupidly.

"Are you rushing? You know, like a sorority?"

"Yeah. I was thinking about it. It'd be cool. Like an automatic group of friends. There's supposed to be a Greek tour tomorrow. One for guys and one for girls. They're going to show us all the houses and we get to talk to the sisters. Are you rushing?"

"Yeah. I'm a legacy. So I'm kinda obligated to although I'd do it anyway."

"What sorority did your mom rush?" I asked.

"Alpha Phi. They're supposed to be like the top sorority in the UCLA Greek system. And their brother fraternity is Zeta Beta Tau who are the top fraternity on campus. That's where all the hottest guys are. All the football players, jocks, important people, rich boys, etc are in that fraternity. Edward wants to rush there."

"Hmm," I thought. "I wonder if Emmett wants to join a fraternity. He's talked about it before but not much. I think he'd be perfect for a fraternity. He's athletic, he likes to party, and he's outgoing."

"Well, being a Zeta is tough work. You gotta hold up the reputation. But the rewards are great. Same for being an Alpha. At least that's what my mom said." I looked through the pamphlet I received about the Greek system and flipped to Alpha Phi. They were all gorgeous women, all dressed in different forms of white dresses. I could definitely see Alice in the picture, up in the front with the other shorter girls. But could I see myself?

The sorority definitely looked like the best one there compared to the rest. Their philosophy was about giving back to the community and lifelong sisterhood. That was cool, right? I was all about community service. And being friends with probably the most popular girls on campus wouldn't hurt either. Plus, being sorority sisters with Alice would be awesome. I could tell we would be good friends. She already had a bid because of being a legacy. There was no doubt in the world she wouldn't get in. She was bright, vibrant, and had a killer major. I was plain, boring, and was in the pre-med program which was one of the most demanding programs at UCLA. The only two options I had were to lie about who I was or just play it cool. I wasn't so great at lying so I just kinda had to act like I was thrilled to be there. I was already excited.

"Well, I guess I'll check out the Alpha house with you," I said simply.

"Oh! We could be rush buddies!" Alice squealed. The very term "rush buddies" already had me less excited.

"How about we just call it two roommates checking out sororities?" I said.

"Two roommates checking out sororities," she said to herself. "TRCOS!" she exclaimed. It sounded like "turcos". I just shook my head and looked at Rosalie's bed. It looked so weird compared to mine and Alice's parts of the room. The bare mattress, the blank walls, the barren desk; it reminded me of myself at Alpha Phi. I would be surrounded by interesting girls and I would be the plain, odd one out. Then I started thinking of my soon-to-be roommate.

"What do you think she'll be like?" I asked Alice.

"Who?" she answered back.

"Rosalie. I already love her name. But what do you think it'll be like living with her? Will she be cool, friendly, bitchy, messy?"

"Well I guess we have to find out tomorrow. Still think it's really weird she can't be here today. Wonder what religion it is," Alice said.

"Well, she said it was about her parents. So maybe they're doing something. We'll ask her when we meet."

My phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID. It was Emmett.

"Hey, Emmett. You guys set?" I asked.

"Yeah. Met my roommate too. He's pretty chill. Mom and Dad are set to go. So are Esme and Carlisle. So you and Alice can come down. Just walk down the steps and go to the bottom of The Hill. There should be a lot of guys out there throwing football. I can see them from our window. And also there's a yellow sign that says "Acacia/Birch" on it. We're on the third floor, dorm number 223. Our names are on the whiteboard." I wrote the directions down on a piece of paper and hung up.

"C'mon Alice. They're ready."

"Already?" she said with a frown.

"Yeah. My brother didn't bring much. And I don't know about your brother."

"He didn't bring much either. He said that if he needs something he can always go home and get it." Alice stared at her bed with a heartbreaking pout. She started picking at the gauze on her bed.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I sat next to her. She looked up at me and I saw that her eyes were filled with tears.

"It's just, I don't know. I've never really been away from my parents. The only times were when I was at school, with my friends, or a sleepover. I've never been to camp; I never went on those foreign trips my school went on, etc. Ugh, I feel like such a dork." She quickly wiped away a tear that was threatening to fall. I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a quick squeeze.

"It's okay to be sad. Most people are. And you're lucky your parents are so close. You can see them every weekend and you can even see them after class. I mean, look at me. My parents are gonna be on the other side of the country. I'm only gonna get to see them once or twice a year. Honestly, if Emmett wasn't here with me I would probably be worse than you right now." Alice giggled and sniffled. I handed her a tissue and she blew her nose.

"I guess I'm being a little bit silly. And compared to you it all seems so trivial. But you're right. You're lucky you have Emmett and I'm lucky to have Edward. This is gonna be an awesome year. I know it." Alice stood up and brushed off her clothes. "Shall we go? Can't keep the parents waiting."

We left the room and started towards our brothers' dorm. The area was called The Hill. It was the section of the campus that had all the dorm buildings. And it literally was a hill. The steps in the middle led all the way down to the main campus. And they were steep. Alice, who had _so _smartly worn a pair of stilettos, was having difficulty walking down these steps. I, in my pair of modest black Converse, could've run down these steps and would've been at the dorm by now. Still, I patiently waited and helped Alice down the stairs. It didn't help that we were almost at the top and they were all the way at the bottom.

Finally, after a grueling 10 minutes, we came to a building that was labeled "De Neve Acacia/Birch". Just like Emmett had said, there was a football game going on in the front quad. We started inching our way around the game and to the door when Alice saw something that caught her attention.

"Hey Bella. Just wait here. I wanna go see that real quick." She ran to a stand that was selling university merchandise. I stood quietly in the corner. One guy was staring intently at me. When he caught my eye he gave me a sly smile. He stopped the game and him and some of the other guys started to amble over.

"Hey sweetheart. You look kinda lost. Need help finding something?" the boy asked. He had blond hair and had a cute baby face. But as he leered closer I could smell his beer-breath mixed in with the sweat from the game he was just playing.

"No. I'm not lost," I said simply. He smiled even more.

"Well, this is the football dorm. You know that, right?" he asked. He placed his hand on my hip.

"Player, player," I heard one of his buddies say under his breath.

"Yes, I'm quite aware of that, thank you. Now, will you please take your hand off of me?" I asked as I slapped his hand away.

"Ooh, feisty. I like it. And you know, a feisty girl shouldn't be hanging around a football dorm. We tend to get a little…rowdy." And with that he slipped his hand under my shirt.

"Okay, stop it," I said, trying to stay cool and assertive. His hand was slowly creeping farther up my shirt. I tried to pull away but he grabbed my ass with his other hand and pulled me closer. His friends were snickering behind him.

"Let go of me!" I yelled as I wrestled against him. That only caused him to pull me closer.

"Fine. On one condition, of course," he said in an annoyingly patronizing voice.

"What?" I spat at him. He licked his lips.

"You have to kiss me." He started to lean it. I twisted my head away. He kept pulling my chin to make me look at him and I kept twisting my head.

"You're really testing my patience, you know," he growled. He grabbed the back of my head and started to push me towards him. I was resisting him as hard as I could which only made him grip the back of my head tighter. I would have bruises.

"No!" I yelled. I would _not _lose my first kiss to this bastard. Suddenly a pair of smooth but strong hands pulled me back and pushed me to the side.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you son of a bitch!" Edward yelled. He brought his fist back and punched the blonde boy on the side of his jaw. The boy staggered back and then fell. The other boys started to run at Edward but then Emmett ran out. The boys stopped running once they saw Emmett's size.

"What's going on? Bella, are you okay?" Emmett wrapped his arms around me. He looked at Edward who was glaring at the blonde boy so hard I thought the flesh would melt of his face. Then he crouch down to look the blonde boy in the eye.

"If you _ever_ come so much as 50 feet of her, I will find you and I will hurt you. Do you understand me, you worthless piece of crap? I don't want you looking at her, thinking about her, talking about her, or have anything at all to do with her. You got that?" I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk so murderously. The blonde boy was putting on the tough guy act but you could see fear in his eyes.

"Whatever, Cullen. It's not like she's worth a shit anyway." Emmett suddenly let go of me and started punching the blonde guy multiple times.

"Don't you _ever_ (punch) talk about (punch) my sister (punch) like that (punch) _again_ (punch and knee)." Alice came running over.

"Oh my God, Bella! What happened?" she asked. She was now wearing a UCLA t-shirt. I was still a little shaky and Emmett was holding me up.

"I was almost raped by that creep over there," I said, my eyes still wide. Alice looked over to the now bruised and beaten blonde boy on the ground. His friends were standing awkwardly around him trying to figure out what to do. Edward rolled his eyes.

"I'll go deal with this," he said as he got up. As he approached the boy, the other boys backed away quickly. The blonde boy cringed as Edward picked him up but was too weak now to fight him off. Edward started carrying him to the infirmary on campus.

"Oh, Bella. I shouldn't have left you alone! I am probably the worst roommate in the world. Only three hours of roommate-ship and I've already let you get almost raped." Alice pouted and looked at the ground. I freed myself from Emmett and went to hug her.

"Alice, it's not your fault that guy is a pig. Don't beat yourself up over it. I just got a case of bad luck is all." Alice looked better when she smiled. Emmett cleared his throat.

"Um, what are we telling Mom and Dad?" he asked. I slapped my forehead.

"Crap! I forgot. We're not telling them anything. They don't know what happened so why would they need to know?" I said. The last thing I needed was another reason to add to Mom's opposing campaign to this school. _This would've never happened at John Hopkins. The kids there are smart enough to know not to behave like that, _she would've said. I internally groaned at the thought.

"Because we're both the suckiest liars in the whole entire world?" he pointed out. We both couldn't lie if our lives depended on it. My face would get red and he would stammer excessively. Our parents always caught us until we decided to stop trying.

"True…but we wouldn't be lying. We just wouldn't tell them anything," I said.

"Well, what if they ask what took us so long?" Emmett countered. I rolled my eyes.

"Emmett, we aren't thirteen anymore. You gotta work around the rules. If they asked what we were doing just tell them that we met some guys from your dorm and got talking. That's not lying, right?" Emmett thought it over and then sighed.

"I guess. Ugh, I freakin' _hate _Newton!" he yelled.

"So that's his name?" I asked. Emmett scowled.

"Mike Newton, the football team's second-string tight end. I haven't even been to my first practice yet and I already hate someone on the team!" Emmett fumed. His face had gone an odd red-purplish color.

"How do you know him then?" I asked.

"Most of the guys from the team room here so I've met a bunch of them. Newton struts up to me and starts going on about how lower classmen have standards and should oblige to the hierarchy of the upper classmen. And then he got all jealous when I told him I was first-string linebacker. Is it my fault he sucks too much to be first-string? He started mumbling something about how it was unfair that lower classmen got better positions and how he worked his ass off last season to get one of those coveted first-string spots. He acts like he's the big man on campus. You know, player-player? Let me tell you, you will never understand how good it felt to punch him. Practices are gonna be super tense, though. Games won't matter 'cause he won't play," Emmett said smugly.

Edward finally came back. I couldn't help but shiver a little bit when I saw him. His hair was even messier than usual because of the fight, making him sexier than I ever thought possible. He ran his hand through his hair, turning his hair into, yet again, a casual disarray. It was a totally normal gesture. Little did he know that it made me ice in his flaming hot presence. Whoa, when did I start thinking of Edward as a flaming hot presence? I guess it was common sense. I'm pretty sure every girl thought that. But he was my roommate's brother so I respected that. Plus, he was the same guy Alice was yelling at today to stop making out with another girl. If that was the way it was gonna be with him then I didn't want to get involved like that.

"One of the other bastards offered to take him to the health center so I let them go. You know, we can report them and have them kicked of the team for that! They are so lucky most of them are first-string. If we didn't need them they would be splayed across the ground now. Well, maybe we can do something about Newton." His expression changed and he looked at me. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" I automatically blushed. The thought of Edward concerned about me was so emotionally intensifying for me that I might have actually stumbled a bit. Edward caught my shoulder and held me steady.

"Thanks," I said meekly. He smiled.

"No problem. Can you walk up or do I need to carry you?" I blushed again. Edward carrying me? I considered lying and fake-fainting. I had more dignity, though. I straightened up and brushed my clothes.

"I'm fine. Let's go?" I asked. Edward nodded and started walking away. Emmett looked at me, confused. I just shrugged my shoulders and followed Edward.

The dorm was filled with big, muscular guys. Hot? Yes. Mature? Not in the least. The scene was straight out of college movie. There were guys throwing footballs, jumping on other guys, eating bag after bag of potato chips, and drawing inappropriate figures on their whiteboards. Emmett was smiling the whole time. I couldn't blame him. This was totally his thing. Emmett was a genuine guy. He liked to party, slack, have fun with the boys, flirt with pretty girls, the whole charade. And Edward seemed like a cool guy too. I was sure Emmett would have no problem with his roommates. Only I hadn't met his other roommate yet.

Their dorm was relatively nice. It was nothing special considering it was a college triple but it was cozy. The boys had already started to decorate their sides of the room. I could already tell which side was Emmett's. The wall was filled football posters, especially the New York Giants, memoirs of our high school, several pictures of Emmett and me, and one provocative picture of Britney Spears. I raised an eyebrow at Emmett.

"What? I appreciate her as an artist! And that was the only poster I could find of her," Emmett said defensively.

"Then why is it on the ceiling?" I asked.

"So that I can appreciate her when I sleep too." I rolled my eyes and Edward's parents chuckled.

"Boys will be boys," Esme said. I looked at Edward's side of the room. There were also posters of football teams, mainly the San Diego Chargers. But there were also framed records on his wall. I didn't even think anyone listened to vinyl records anymore. Carlisle caught me staring.

"Edward is very much into music, as you can probably see," he explained.

"The fifties in particular. Which would explain the records," Edward said from behind me. I looked at him and was very proud of myself for not stumbling.

"So you're into all kinds of music?" I asked.

"Basically. What about you?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Anything that sounds good, I guess. Doesn't matter what genre or what year. Emmett is the picky one. He's into that heavy metal crap and nothing else," I said rolling my eyes.

"It's not crap. It's what I'm used to. Plus, you're the one who's annoying when it comes to music," Emmett complained. He turned to Edward. "Our rooms were right next to each other and she would play her music so loud I was forced to listen to _all _of it. Sometimes it was good. She would play Linkin Park or Aerosmith. Not my type, but I could deal with it. Then it would travel downward to like All Time Low and something called Mayday Parade. Then it would hit a literal all time low with country crap like, I don't know, what's your favorite country band called, Bells?" he asked me.

"Rascal Flatts," I said through my teeth. I hated when he made fun of my music

"Yeah, that's it. Rascal Flatts. She _loves _them. I think it sounds like he's crying every time he sings. But she loves it. Then finally it would hit snooze level with all this instrumental crap, mainly piano pieces and guitar. But yeah, Bella doesn't have a type. Like she said, she goes with what sounds good." Emmett shrugged at me and smiled. I gave him such a seething glare he took a couple of steps back. Edward smiled.

"Well, I like anyone who likes all kinds of music," he said. He then flashed me a crooked smile that almost made me melt on the spot. I immediately started to blush. I the looked around the room again.

"Where's your other roommate?" I asked.

"In another room talking to one of our neighbors. You'll meet him when we come back here," Emmett said. My mother cleared her throat.

"Shall we go outside, then? It's getting a bit late and we really need to get a move on," she said rather rudely. But Esme, being the polite and clam person that she was, just smiled and nodded.

"Of course. We should probably get going too. It's almost dinnertime and from the looks of it, the kids want to get to know each other a bit more. Carlisle?" she said, calling for her husband.

"Of course. Let's go," he said. We walked out of the dorms and over to the parking garage. Each family walked to their respectable cars to bid goodbye; Emmett and I left with our parents and Edward and Alice left with theirs. Before we did though, Esme turned to Emmett and I.

"I know your parents live so far away so think of us as your second home. You both are welcome anytime you want, even without Alice and Edward. Don't be afraid to drop by and say hello. I know we're going to be needing company now. And we would be honored if you spend small holiday breaks with us, like Thanksgiving. And most importantly, don't be afraid to ask us for anything." A big smiled spread on my face and I gave her a hug.

"You're a real lifesaver, you know that right?" I said. She chuckled.

"Well, I guess my husband and I have something in common after all," she said. We walked to our and our parent turned to us. Before my father could start my mother pounced.

"Just so we're clear, I want to let you both know that I think you're both making the biggest mistakes of your lives," she said curtly.

"Mom…" Emmett warned.

"Don't interrupt. I'm not going to say I'm proud of you because I'm not. The decisions you make define you as a person. Poor judgment results in poor character quality. Bella, I am especially disappointed in you. _You _are the one who initiated all of this. Just think for a moment the decision you have made. You've distanced yourself from your family, rejected the finest schools in the country, and gambled your future! And the worst part about all of it is that you dragged Emmett with you for your own selfishness."

"Mom, stop!" Emmett yelled. I'm sure he was waiting for me to say something since this was always my argument. But her words had cut me so deep my mind couldn't even access speech. And Emmett always hated to see me cry.

"Will you listen to yourself?" he continued. "I think you're the one being selfish. Why is it you assume that any other choice other than yours is a bad one? Picture something for me, will you? Picture Bella going to John Hopkins and me going to Columbia. That's the scenario you want, right? We didn't get any scholarship money for either one of those schools. So that would've been $80,000 a year for both of us and then some more."

"Money wouldn't have been a problem…" Mom started.

"Yes it would've. We already can't afford for me and Bella to come home for Thanksgiving _and _Christmas together. Now picture Bella at college. She would be sad, lonely, and she would hate the place. That's a waste of $40,000 right there. And picture me at college. I would've hated New York just because Bella would've been hundreds of miles away. That's another waste of $40,000. Do you see what I'm getting at here? Choosing a college is not just based on academics. It's also based on where you want to live because you're spending four years of your life here. And with both our scholarships, Dad is only paying $12,000 dollars a year for both of us. So we can at least come home for Christmas and have some leisure money to have fun here. So stop guilt-tripping Bella just because she picked a college that is not only fantastic academically but also where she's most comfortable. And also, don't ever think she dragged me into anything. I happen to have a mind of my own, Mom. I don't always do what Bella tells me to do. If I didn't feel coming here was the right thing to then I wouldn't have come. College is important to me, too." I looked at Emmett and he smiled though his face was still red from his rant. I honestly couldn't ask for a better brother than Emmett. I looked at my mother.

"This is where I want to be, Mom. And I hope in time you can understand that," I said. My voice still a little bit wavery from the tears. My mother just scoffed.

"Trust me, I never will," she said bitterly. She entered the passenger door and slammed it shut. I really started to break down when my dad wrapped his arms around me tight.

"Don't cry, baby girl. You know how stubborn your mom is and how much her reputation means to her. I think she's mostly upset because she heard from Lindsey Waverly's mom that Lindsey got into Yale. You know how competitive she is with that woman. She wanted something to rub back in her face."  
"Wait, Lindsey? Like crazy 'you got me a latte' Lindsey?" Emmett asked, amazed. "Damn, that girl was dumber than a flag pole. When we were dating she asked me why they put percent numbers on top of the racks in the discount store." I laughed into my father's shoulder. Emmett always had a way to make me laugh.

"Yeah, well, between you and me, Lindsey's dad and I play golf and he was saying that Mrs. Waverly took a whole bunch of giant loans out of the bank to buy Lindsey into Yale. Let's just say things are not going too well in the Waverly house right now," Dad said with a chuckle. I pulled back from his shoulder and smiled.

"I'm gonna miss you, Dad," I said with a sniffle. Dad smiled.

"Me too, bud. Both of you. I can't tell you how proud I am of the two of you for coming this far. And with scholarships at that! Emmett, you tear up that football field like the freakin' Tasmanian Devil. And know that I'm gonna be watching each and every game back home on the flat-screen and then calling you after to give you the feedback. Oh, I can't wait to watch the games with my buddies and say 'That's my boy'. And Bella, I know pre-med is tough. But there is no better feeling than knowing you can save a life. I want you to be the one fixing up Emmett when he gets mashed up on the football field. And you, Emmett. I want you to protect Bella. I know college boys and there're a lot of perverts out there. Beat the crap out of any kid who tries to put the moves on my Bella-rina," he said, using my childhood nickname from the phase of my life I wanted to be a ballet dancer when I was six. It didn't really work out when I found out I couldn't dance and fell flat on my ass during a recital. Emmett mocked me for weeks.

"Of course, Dad. Would I do anything less?" Emmett said wrapping his arm around my shoulder. Suddenly Mom beeped the car horn.

"Let's go!" she yelled. I rolled my eyes. Dad was sympathetic.

"She'll come around. Don't worry." He pulled me in for one last hug and clapped Emmett on the shoulder a few times before finally entering the driver's seat and driving away. Emmett and I started walked towards the Cullen's car when I stopped.

I could see Alice crying bucket-loads and Edward was trying to sooth her. Esme was trying her hardest to console her while Carlisle stroked her hair slowly.

"Maybe we should give them a few minutes," I said slowly. Emmett looked petrified. He wasn't so great with tears.

"Maybe that's a good idea," he said, backing up slowly. Edward turned his head and saw us looking. I suddenly felt awkward. He whispered something to Alice and she looked back at us too, giving us a little half-smile. She gave Carlisle and Esme one final hug before they entered their car and drove off. Alice turned to Edward and started crying into his shirt. Edward signaled us to come over.

"Hey Alice. You gonna be okay?" I asked softly. She turned to me. Her eyes were red-rimmed and here eyeliner was streaming down her face.

"I feel silly but I'll be okay," she said with a sniffle. I gave her a hug.

"Us being roommates is gonna be so much fun you'll hardly ever think of your parents," I whispered. She smiled.

"You have no idea," she whispered back.

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**you like it?? im sorry Alice cried so much even though her parents live like 20 minutes away. it felt right. and Renee is still a bitch except her bitchiness takes on a whole new level here. didnt you hate her? when i was writing i was channeling anger so i guess it all worked out for the best! lol :D. like a said before, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! reviews make the world go round. the next chapter is sooooo much better and im going to try my hardest to restrain myself until i get 10 reviews. remember guys, its already written and ready so all you have to do is REVIEW!! and remember to always Love California**


	3. Friends

**Here's the next chapter. I kno i said i'd wait but it was brought to my attention that with only 2 posted chapters i wasnt going to get a lot of reviews. so here's a third. thanks to everyone who story alerted this or favorited, i got A LOT!!! but please, please, please, PLEASEEEEEEE, REVIEWWWW!!!!****Friends**

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We walked back to the boys' dorm so that Alice and I could clean up and meet the other roommate. As soon as we walked up we saw a blonde boy with curly blonde hair lying down on a bed reading a book. As soon as he saw us he jumped off his bed and stood up. I could see him better now. He was tall and lanky like Edward but a little more muscular. It was like a combination of both Edward and Emmett. He walked over and stuck out his hand to me.

"Hey, I'm Jasper," he said. I could hear a southern twang in voice. I had always loved a Southern accent. Then I actually looked at Jasper's face. He was quite good-looking. What was it with my brother having two really hot roommates? I smiled.

"Bella. I'm Emmett's sister," I said, shaking his hand.

"Yeah, you two look alike. Stupid comment. You're twins, right?" he asked.

"Yup. I'm older by 10 minutes," I said smugly, knowing it always bugged Emmett.

"Always gotta rub in my face, right Bells?" he said.

"Always," I said. Jasper laughed and turned to Edward.

"Hey, Edward. Don't you have a sister?" he asked.

"Yeah. She's right…not here," Edward said with a confused frown. I hadn't even noticed Alice leave my side.

"I'll go check," I said, leaving the dorm. I walked to the girls' bathroom on this floor. Acacia/Birch was also a co-ed dorm. I felt slightly bad for some of the more modest girls who had to share a dorm building with football players. I found Alice furiously scrubbing her face to rid herself of the eyeliner streaks.

"Bella! What am I going to do? Ugh, I can't look like this in front of him!" she exclaimed. She went back to scrubbing.

"Who? You mean Jasper?" I asked. She sighed.

"Jasper. What a timely name. It's so…old-fashioned. I like it. I can get great nicknames out of that. Oh, my, God, Bella, did you _see _him? Did you _see _how hot he was? I can't go back there looking like this! All my makeup smeared down my face. I don't have any left. C'mon we need to go back to the dorm. I _need _to do some fixing." Alice starting to rush out the door when I caught her.

"Alice! You need to calm down. We can't go back to the dorm. We need to go to dinner. It's already getting kinda late and you'll learn over time that Emmett doesn't take it so well when he's hungry. And he's _always _hungry," I said. Alice was looking frantic.

"B-but, hot guy…makeup…freak…no!" Alice was starting to panic. She had never experienced not looking perfect before.

"Alice, if you ask me, a woman is her sexiest when in her most natural coat. To phrase, you'll probably look best without all the makeup," I said consoling. She looked up at me.

"Really?" she asked.

"Absolutely. Lead with your attitude, not your looks." I pulled her out of the bathroom and started towards the boys' room. I probably looked ridiculous, forgetting to wash my own face while in the bathroom with Alice. My face was most definitely tear-stained. I was fine though. I wasn't too concerned with how I looked. There was no one I needed to impress today. And I was starting to feel more comfortable in Edward's presence so I didn't feel so self-conscious anymore. We entered the room to find the boys in a heated discussion. I heard the words "Giants", "Chargers", and "Cowboys" and automatically knew what the discussion was about. When you took three football fanatics from different parts of the country and put them in the same room, there was bound to be some conflicts.

"Guys!" I yelled. The talking automatically stopped and the boys looked at me. I saw Jasper's face lift a little when he saw tiny Alice standing next to me. He immediately came over and took Alice's hand.

"Jasper Hale," he said as he shook it two times. He let his fingers linger around hers a little bit longer than necessary. Alice had a dainty blush growing on her cheeks.

"Alice Cullen. Pleasure to meet you," she said, unusually shy. They both stared at each other. I started to feel a little uncomfortable interfering with such a private moment. I backed away. Emmett, on the other hand, had no problem breaking up intimate moments like this.

"Dudes, I'm _starving_. When are we going?" he whined.

"Emmett," I growled. He looked surprised, as if he had no idea what was going on.

"What?" he asked. I subtly nodded my head towards Alice and Jasper. Emmett understood. His mouth made an "o" shape. "Oh. Well if that's all you were worried about then all you had to do was ask." He made his way towards Alice and Jasper and started to push them out the door.

"Ok, lovebirds. Times-a-wasting. Let's go, let's go. We'll have time for love at first sight later. In case you didn't hear me before, I'm starving. The minute I have my food, I swear, you two can go back to gazing at each other. Move it, c'mon!" He ushered the two of them out the door.

"Not what I meant, Emmett!" I yelled. I was fuming when Edward tapped my shoulder.

"We should follow. It's already 8:30 and places are gonna start closing soon," he said, I nodded.

"Sure. Let's go. I'm hungry too. I haven't eaten since about noon," I said. We both walked out the door together. I felt confident. Like my old self. Bella Swan never lost her cool in front of a guy. I was, however, getting hateful glares from a lot of the girls who were watching in the hallway. Edward was getting sex eyes.

"How do you deal with it?" I asked him. He gave me a confused look before he realized what I was talking about.

"After a while you just kinda get used to it. You pretend everyone looks at each other that way. It makes it easier to pretend people are normal." We passed a girl in her doorway who was slowly pulling aside her bathrobe to reveal the ample cleavage she had under it. I shuddered in disgust. Edward just kept walking.

"So do you have a girlfriend?" I asked. He laughed.

"You're already hitting on me?" he asked jokingly. I was instantly mortified.

"No! It's just you were kissing someone earlier today, or so Alice told me, so I figured she might've come here. After all, you're from around here. A lot of people from your high school must've come here," I said. He shrugged.

"A couple came here. A lot went to UCSB, the other California University in Santa Barbara. It has an awesome party school rep," he explained.

"I hear UCLA doesn't do a bad job throwing a party though," I commented. Edward nodded.

"UCLA throws great parties. A lot of students come up here from Pepperdine University in Malibu to attend one of them. LA is a great city. Much more lively than Malibu. And to answer your question from before, no, I don't have a girlfriend. What you saw, or heard of, was actually a method I use to get rid of girls."

"You make out with them?" I asked skeptically.

"The way it works is when I find a girl who's slutty enough to throw herself all over me, I make out with her. Hopefully, that will get me out of her system. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't right away. Some girls like a one-time thing. They tasted the candy and now they can say that they have. Other girls want more of it and don't get the message when they try to get involved and I'm not interested. I have to kiss those girls more than once. Alice thinks I'm a player." My eyes were wide. I couldn't believe some people had to stoop to some levels. My liking for this guy had suddenly dropped a significant level.

"You realize how wrong that is, right?" I asked disgustedly. Edward solemnly nodded.

"Yes, I do. This is why I don't like to tell people. I get written off as an ass. But people still freakin' worship me. I hate it. Guys, most of them, like me because it's really not their problem. They think it's amazing that I 'throw down the hottest girls on campus'. That was a total quote. And girls love me because I'm, well, me. It's like a curse I have. I can't _not _attract other women. Watch." We stopped at a dorm with a shy freshman standing in the doorway. She, like every other girl, was staring at the spectacle that was Edward Cullen. Edward gave her a quick wink and one of those unbelievable crooked smiles. The girl squealed with delight and started to hyperventilate as she ran back into her dorm. Edward gave me a knowing look.

"I see," I said. Saying Edward was a god was an understatement yet I couldn't believe how ridiculous these girls were acting. It was like he was freakin' Justin Timberlake. Except, I'd definitely take Edward over Justin.

"I'm completely incapable of befriending a girl because that girl will just fall in love with me. And not for _me_, but just for the way I look. In high school, I had no problem getting a date on Friday nights, a date for the prom, or someone to just make out with when I was bored. But I could never invite a girl over to my house to study or go to the movies without cuddling or hang out at the mall without her throwing herself at me just to show everyone that I was with her." Edward looked straight ahead as we walked down the stairs and I couldn't help but feel bad.

Girls were animals. Literally. I personally knew how far they would go just to get a guy, what with Emmett being my brother and all. But Edward was at the peak. I had to admire how well he could ignore all the girls trying to undress themselves as mush as they could just to get his attention. This just showed me that Edward wasn't like any other guy. Any other guy would be lapping it all up, like that vile Newton guy. But Edward had principles. And he sometimes had boundaries but they were only stretched so that he could stick to his principles.

"Well, you're in luck, Edward. I think we could be friends. I don't succumb to guys that easily. Back in high school, it probably helped that my brother was one of the hottest guys in school. So I didn't spend a lot of time crushing. In fact, I never spent any. And I have limits. And I'm _very _good at keeping them." I gave Edward a smile that clearly said "I don't take crap". He smiled back.

"I think I could use a friend like you. Especially since we have the same major. We could really help each other out." He stuck his hand out to me and I took it. His cool hand still made me burn but not as much as before. Now that we were friends, I didn't need to feel anything anymore. That made me much more confident. We walked out the door of the dorm and found Emmett, Alice, and Jasper waiting for us. Emmett was fuming. Alice and Jasper probably didn't even realize they were waiting for anyone. They were in their own world now.

"What the hell took you so long?" Emmett exploded. Edward slightly jumped at his outburst while I just raised an eyebrow. I was used to Emmett's little fits.

"Five minutes," I said. Emmett's face went slack and then he pulled out the puppy-dog face.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I promise I won't ever do it again and if I do you can—"

"Five minutes," I said again. Emmett pouted and sat on a bench with his arms crossed. Edward leaned over to me.

"What's five minutes?" he whispered. I laughed.

"Emmett's really impatient and I used to hate when he would yell at us for being too slow or too late. So every time he would blow up, I'd make him wait five minutes in silence to cool down. He hates it because that means we have to wait an extra five minutes. If he blows up again during the five minutes I add another five minutes. Once, a couple of years ago, we were leaving to go on vacation and I was making everyone late. When I walked out the door Emmett started yelling at me and I made him wait five minutes. He kept trying to talk in between so I kept adding five minutes. We ended up starting an hour late. My dad was kinda pissed but he respects it." Edward chuckled to himself and we waited another few minutes. When Emmett's five minutes were up we got up to go eat. It was already almost nine. We'd only get to eat the leftovers they had in the cafeteria.

We entered the closest dining hall and saw that it was actually pretty full. There were a lot of students trying to get used to eating late. We walked up to the table to see what they had to offer. They pretty much had everything you could ask for. They had four kinds of pizzas, hamburgers, cheese burgers, hotdogs, pasta, chicken wings, French fries, and even veggie burgers. Next to all of this was a sushi bar. No one was currently making sushi at this time but there were plastic cartons of sushi with six pieces in them on the bar. The dessert table included a variety of slices of pie, cake, and brownies. A soft-serve ice cream machine was next to it. The salad bar across the dessert table was pretty standard and the drink fountain consisted of sodas, juices, and water. A coffee machine was right next to it.

Emmett wasted no time in taking a little bit of everything there was to offer. Edward and Jasper were more in control of their appetites and just got hamburgers. I opted for the pasta. Alice, however, made a beeline for the salad bar and came back with just a few leaves of lettuce and a smidge of dressing.

"Alice! Anorexia is not exactly an attractive disorder, especially with your body frame," I scolded. Alice was about to speak when Edward interrupted.

"Don't bother. I give her that speech all the time. It only results in her eating less. I wouldn't worry too much yet. She hasn't fainted or gotten any complaints from her doctor so she's definitely satisfying herself somehow." Alice shrugged.

"It's too late to eat too much. If I eat an actual meal, I won't be able to sleep all night. And that's not always a great thing for the person who will be sleeping a few feet away from me," Alice said pointedly, looking at me. I shuddered. I was really starting to like Alice but I could _not _deal with a constant chatterbox during sleeping hours. I let the topic drop. But while everyone left to go find a table, I grabbed two cookies, wrapped them in a tissue and put them in my pocket. If Alice was satisfying herself somehow then it was probably in the late hours. At least now she didn't have to go through the hassle of leaving our dorm and going to a coffee shop on campus that was open until two.

We took our seats at a table that was a bit away from the crowded part of the dining hall. At first it was awkward. We all just kind of sat there, eating our meals quietly. Alice got fidgety and decided to go back to the salad bar to see if anything else was there. When I finally couldn't take the silence anymore, I turned to Jasper.

"So what part of Texas are you from?" I asked. Jasper, who was staring at Alice intently from our table, suddenly snapped to attention and looked at me.

"What?" he asked again, blushing. Emmett snickered.

"Sex," he said under his breath. I looked at Emmett.

"What?" I asked, confused. Emmett just shrugged.

"Sex. That's what he was thinking about," Emmett said simply. Jasper got really red.

"What are you talking about, man?" he asked, a bit shaky. Emmett snorted.

"Please. Look at you blush. Guys don't do that, man. And you were staring at Alice before Bella called you. You looked embarrassed. You were totally undressing her in your head." Jasper immediately looked at Edward. Edward was smirking.

"You know, I may not be Alice's biological brother, but I'm still really protective of her. And I have to be completely honest. I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of you dating her when you've known her for an hour," he said. Jasper was shaking her head quickly.

"No way! I would never! Especially since we're roommates _and _teammates. I won't talk to her if you don't want me to. I won't think about her, look at her, have anything to do with her—"

"Dude, I'm not a freakin' tiger mama. And she's not the plague. You guys can be friends. We're all friends. I just said I don't want you dating her right now," Edward clarified.

"Dating who right now?" Alice asked, back with a few more pieces of lettuce on her plate. I scrambled for an excuse.

"Um, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. I don't think Brad should leave Angelina for Jen. He already had his shot with her. There was a reason they divorced. I mean, hello?" I sighed with relief when Alice face twisted in disgusted agreement.

"Oh, my, God, I know, right? I mean, Brad isn't such a selfish bastard that he would leave Angelina with like the fifty freakin' kids they have at home, right? I was reading _Us Weekly_ the other day…" Alice's words were starting to become a buzz. I hated tabloid gossip. When I used to go to the supermarket I would read an article or two in the magazines they had near the register while I was waiting in line to check out my items. The apparent issues Brad and Angelina were having had been the last headline I saw on a magazine. I looked at Edward who was sitting next to me. He was having difficulty holding in his laughter and when he caught me eye he couldn't help but chuckle. I smiled.

"What?" I whispered. He kept laughing.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly peg you for a tabloid reader type girl," he said. I smiled.

"Well, I can't ignore what I see everywhere. Seriously, I've been in California for a day and while we were driving here all I could see were headlines that read _Ex-wife soon to replace future ex-wife? _It's amazing that normal people's lives are so uninteresting that they have to indulge in the details of other people's lives," I whispered back. Edward shrugged.

"Well, that's the business we call Hollywood. You live here long enough and you turn into that," he said, pointing at Alice, who was still ranting.

"…and seriously, Brad needs to get over himself. I mean, why the hell would you go to your ex-wife for advice about your current wife? Isn't it common sense to know that your ex-wife probably isn't that fond of you? Why else would you divorce? Bella, are you listening to me?" Alice asked, looking at me. I shook my head out.

"Yeah, Alice. I know, it's disgusting. And you know what? It's such a depressing topic that I can't even talk about it anymore," I said, hoping to close the discussion. Alice nodded.

"Me too. We'll continue next week. _Us Weekly _will come out again and there'll probably be some more news," Alice said. I internally cringed. I could feel Edward laughing next to me. Edward and Jasper were just staring at Alice, probably wondering how so many words could come out of such a small person. I turned back to Jasper.

"So before all of that happened, I was saying, what part of Texas are you from?"

"Dallas. It was a fun place to grow up. We lived in the suburb part. I grew up in this pretty big estate. We had a huge backyard that my brothers and I would play in and a round driveway that made our house look mansion-like. My dad was one of the best litigators in Texas. So I didn't get to see him a lot. He would travel all around the state. He would call everyday. One day he would be in Houston, the next he'd be in Galveston. So my mother raised me. Her father was a good, old-fashioned Southern gentleman so that's the way she raised me."

"And please explain, how does a good, old-fashioned Southern gentleman behave?" I asked with a smile. He smiled back.

"Well, he would hold open doors, pull open chairs, offer generosity, and in the presence of a lady, never act out of line in anyway," he explained.

"What do you mean 'act out of line'?" I asked.

"Like, mouth off, or do anything that would imply suggestive behavior. No abusing a woman in any way, and never act like a pervert or say perverted things."

"Well, most guys pretty much follow the 'don't abuse a woman' thing. But the other stuff, well. I think _some _people," I said, looking at Emmett, "should've been raised in the South." Emmett face was stuffed with food when he looked at me.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his mouth full. I looked at Jasper.

"Do Southern gentlemen act like that?" I asked.

"Not typically," he said.

"My case closed." The table burst into laughter while Emmett still looked confused. I suddenly felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I looked at the screen. It was a text message from Alice. She had asked for my number when we were walking back to the boys' room from the bathroom. I clicked the center button to read the text.

_Ask if he ever had a girlfriend~ A._

I raised my eyebrows and typed back.

_Why can't you ask him?~ B._

I got a text back a minute later.

_Because it'll be completely obvious that I like him if I ask. And I'll sound like a jealous bitch. It would sound much better if you asked. Please?~ A._

I sighed and looked at Jasper.

"So, did you ever have a girlfriend?" Alice was trying extremely hard not to look _too _interested. And I could tell Jasper was uncomfortable answering this question in front of her. He gave a little shrug.

"A couple. Nothing serious, though. The relationships never lasted more than a couple of weeks. I think the longest was two months."

"Who was that?" Alice blurted out before thinking. She immediately started to blush. Jasper smiled at her embarrassment.

"Katie Willa. She was captain of her softball team. Her teammates called her . I always liked athletic girls." I saw Alice's face fall. She probably didn't have an athletic bone in her body. Jasper noticed and quickly began to talk again.

"But then I realized they were way too competitive. It was really annoying. I thought guys were competitive but we leave it on the field. These girl, ugh. There were catfights in the hallways about incidents that happened at a game the day before. It was really bad." Jasper shuddered, recalling a memory.

"So why did you guys break up?" I asked, saving Alice from bursting with curiosity. Alice was almost bouncing in her seat.

"I came here. A couple of days after graduation I told her I didn't want to do the whole long distance relationship thing. It doesn't work. She got all mad, asking me why I couldn't go to the University of Texas like my brothers. I could've. But I got an awesome scholarship here and besides, my brothers had made names for themselves at the University. I didn't want to go to college and be known as the Whitlock's younger brother. I got that all through high school. Coming here is like becoming someone new."

"How many other brothers do you have?" Emmett asked.

"Three. They're triplets. They were like the big-shot guys in high school. Popular, great athletes and girls were all over them. I was a freshman when they were juniors. It sucked. All the older girls were all 'Oh, it's the fourth Whitlock! Bet he'll be just like the others'. I hated it."

"But it looks like you were like them. You got a football scholarship, you had girlfriends, and you're not exactly ugly, you know," I pointed out.

"Thanks. But I just hated being labeled. Now my brothers are mad at me 'cause I didn't choose to go to their school. And my mother's sad that I'm so far away from home. Other than all of that, though, I think coming here was a great idea. I live in a great town, I'm playing the sport that I love, and I already have a group of friends," Jasper said with a smile. He suddenly backtracked. "Um, we _are _friends, right?" he asked nervously. I smiled.

"Great friends," I said, feeling an amazing kind of happiness knowing I already had my group of friends.

"Your practically my bitch," Emmett said, extending his fist which Jasper punched back. We all laughed. I got up from the table and yawned.

"Well, I'm calling it a night. Freshman orientation starts tomorrow so I wanna be rested for that. Also, our new roommate is coming so I don't wanna look like a log in my bed in case she comes early. Alice, are you coming?" I asked. She was giggling and blushing at something Jasper just whispered to her. She looked at me.

"You know what, Bella? I'll meet you there in a couple of minutes," she said, giving me The Look. I shrugged, playing it cool.

"Fine with me. Night guys. Oh, by the way, Emmett, you accidentally packed Mr. Sheepers in my bag. You can come pick him up whenever," I said with a smirk. Emmett's face went slack and started to flame up in fury.

"You will pay for that," he said menacingly as the entire table erupted into loud laughter. I gave Emmett a sickly sweet smile and walked away. I loved embarrassing him like that. I once told his high school football team about Mr. Sheepers and they wouldn't let it go for weeks until he finally begged me to tell the team that it was out little cousin's.

"Bella, wait!" Edward called. He ran up to me. "I'll walk you back to your dorm. It looks like Alice might be a while and I don't exactly want to bask in Emmett's fury," he said, giving me the amazing crooked smile. I slightly blushed. It would take some time to get used to befriending hotness. We continued to walk up the stairs of The Hill to my dorm. It was dark outside but there were big lights everywhere so it was pretty well lit.

"So Mr. Sheepers, huh?" Edward said, looking quite amused. I laughed.

"It's a stuffed sheep he's had since he was five. He can't sleep without it. No one knows about it except for me. Um, by the way, please don't give him a hard time about it or tell the football team. I only mentioned it to bug him. I don't want him to do anything to it out of peer pressure. It means a lot to him, that sheep. Our grandma gave it to him," I explained.

"Was your grandma important in your life?" he asked.

"Very. She was like anti-mom. She actually cared about the less important things in our lives. When Emmett was five he couldn't sleep at night. It would annoy the hell out of me since we shared a same room till we were seven. He would always wake me up at night and asked me to play with him. When I told my mom, all she said was to ignore him, as if he was a bully or something. Finally, I told my grandma and the next night when she came to tuck us in, she waited until I fell asleep to talk to Emmett. She asked him to count sheep. But he had a short attention span and got irritated imagining invisible sheep. So Grandma went and bought him a stuffed sheep so he wouldn't have to imagine counting sheep. It worked wonders. He fell asleep faster than I did. Thus, Mr. Sheepers became a part of our family. When we were ten he started hiding it in the closet during the day and would only take it out at night. And that is the story of the wonderful Mr. Sheepers," I said dramatically. Edward chuckled.

"Well, I guess all guys have embarrassing comforts, even tough guys like Emmett," he said with a shrug. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"And pray tell, Mr. Cullen, what embarrassing comfort do you have?" He gave me a small smirk.

"That would be something you need to find out on your own." We finally reached my dorm and I took out my key-card and slid it in the slot. The light turned green and I turned the handle. I turned around to look at Edward, leaning my back against the door to keep it open.

"Well, thank you for walking me to me dorm. It was great meeting you and I guess I'll be seeing you at tomorrow's orientation?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yup. I'll be there. And it was my pleasure. I'm glad I finally have girlfriend." His face suddenly contorted into horror as he realized what he just said. "I mean, um, a female friend. You know what I mean." He was furiously blushing and I laughed.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. And I'm glad I have a guy friend. To be honest, I haven't had many of those. Emmett is probably my only guy friend," I said, shrugging. Edward took out his cell phone.

"Could I have your number? We're friends now so I think that's ok, right?" he asked. I smiled.

"Sure. 555-1021," I recited. Edward quickly typed it in and put his phone back in his pocket. "Well, goodnight Bella."

"Goodnight, Edward." I entered my dorm and smiled. It felt great making a new friend. Suddenly my cell phone buzzed. I didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Ok. Just making sure it wasn't a fake number. It's never happened to me before but then again, you're the first girl who hasn't swooned at the sight of me," said Edward. I laughed.

"Well, aren't you modest? Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella."

* * *

**Edward's adorable :D soo what'd you think?? awesome? fantabulous? crappy?!?!? these are things i need to knooo!! through REVIEWSS!!! so please do that!!!**

**Another thing. I wrote another story at the beginning of the year and i wanted to put in on Fanfic. I'm posting the first chapter here and i want you all to read it and tell me if i should post it or if it's a waste of space. Here's a summary and chapter 1:**

_Taylor is your average small-town girl with a big dream. She's always wanted to be an actress but when you live in a state like Minnesota, how is that possible? Especially with subborn parents like hers. After a stroke of good luck and a lot of courage, she finds herself casted in the new Twilight Saga movie, Eclipse. She soon discovers new friends, a new romance, a new setting, and a life so similar to what she normally sees and yet so different from what she normally feels. Sometimes, all you need it a little kismet. _

Kismet

You know how they say everyone wants something? Even if people say they don't want anything at all they really do want something. They say if you want something with all you're heart the entire universe will do anything it can to help you get it. Well, the universe, like rules, has its exceptions. For example, one exception would be me.

In the small town of Hallock, Minnesota, how in the world is a girl, or a person for that matter, supposed to follow her dreams? And to make this dream more absurd is the fact of what this dream is. To become an actress. Yes, I'm perfectly aware of how clichéd it sounds. But it's true. The obsession is like a drug. Once you try it you never want to stop. And unlike a drug, you don't ever need to stop.

Sure, if I was so passionate about this dream I could go to Hollywood right now and pursue it like hundreds of others have done and are doing. And my parents aren't horrible people. My mother completely understands how much it means to be and support me the whole way. It was just my dad who found my obsession for acting a bit silly. And it doesn't hurt to add that I live in the most inconvenient state and town for that dream to exist. Minnesota, a state in the almost middle of the country. Hundreds of miles from California, hundreds of miles from New York City. And the only interesting thing about our state? It's the state where Mall of America, the biggest mall complete with biggest indoor amusement park and best shark experience in the country, is located.

However, Mall of America is located in Minneapolis, very far from Hallock. So you see, getting an acting job is very difficult in my situation. And it's not like we don't have the money to go to California. It's just that we don't have the time. And I don't have the experience or knowledge. I have absolutely no idea when there's going to be an audition or when to grab my chance. The only acting I've done here are school plays. That's where the acting bug caught on. Is it so wrong to want bigger things? I'm done being you're everyday 15-year-old. I'm done being the daughter of the owner of a hardware store. And you know what? I'm done being Taylor Gray, actress wannabe. My time was coming. I could feel it. Because the universe was going to stop conspiring against me. It was finally going to start helping. I just needed a little luck. And sometimes, kismet happens.

* * *

A beautiful sparkling light was hitting my face, blinding me a tiny bit, but just enough so that I could admire the beauty. It was like watching stars twinkle just a few yards away rather than a few million light years away. But it wasn't the twinkling lights that had me in awe. That just had me in surprised awe. The real awe came from the boy who was twinkling. Pale white skin, perfect, muscular chest and arms, a stunningly, it-almost-hurts-to-look, beautiful face, and finally, golden eyes that made slightly made your bones melt. My face probably looked exactly like the girl's face standing next to the boy. It had the Taylor surprised awe look but her eyes held something that my eyes did not. It held a love so deep and unbreakable that I had to look away from her to try to keep from hyperventilating. The extreme chemistry between these two, the sparks that were rioting of their skin were unbelievable.

Sitting on this soft grass, so absorbed in the magic that was happening right in front of me, I was interrupted by a discreet ringing noise. I didn't like it, no matter how soft it was. It was ruining the moment completely. As it was slowing starting to increase in volume, I frantically looked back at the boy and girl, hoping they wouldn't stop their magic to investigate the noise. And yet, I was a little confused as to why they didn't stop. Even if they were so deep into their conversation the ringing was now loud enough to bring attention to anyone. And then the most horrific thing started to happen. The picture started to fade away.

"No!" I shouted and I started to run toward the couple.

But they were getting even fader and the ringing was getting louder. I couldn't take the ringing anymore. The picture was almost white and the ringing was at its extreme. I threw myself at the picture one last time and fell on my knees. I put my hands over my ears and started sobbing.

I woke up with a start, breathing hardly. This was the umpteenth time I've had a dream like that. I've always had these weird Twilight dreams. It was always the Taylor thing. Some seen from the book would be playing and I'd be watching from the sides. And I never fully understood why I wake up from that dream feeling horrified. It wasn't a nightmare. But I hated losing that couple. I loved watching them, even if the moments were supposed to be private. They're chemistry was an experience. Watching it was an experience. And that ringing was too much to bear. It was my alarm clock that interrupted me. I didn't remember setting it the night before. Today was my day to sleep in. I turned to my right to switch it off. I noticed a book next to me on my bed.

"I fell asleep reading Twilight again, didn't I?" I said to myself.

That's why that dream looked so familiar. It was one of my favorite scenes from Twilight. The couple was Bella and Edward, the best fictional couple, in my opinion, since Romeo and Juliet. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is my absolute favorite book. I honestly couldn't understand what was not to like about the book. It had everything. Action, mythical creatures (well, only two. Types, I mean), and a romance that was so pure and right. And it was so brilliantly written. I just loved the whole concept of the book. A girl who really doesn't fit in with society moves from the big city to a small town and falls in love with the one person you're not supposed to fall in love with. A vampire. And the story goes from there.

The entire series had me in Twilight frenzy. And the two movies based on the first and second book made me even more of a Twilighter. The movies were great. Twilight has a huge fan-base. So the movie producers had a lot a pressure on their hands. They had to make sure that no aspect of the book was changed and most importantly, they had to pick the perfect cast, especially Edward. A lot of people have developed small crushes on him after imagining him in their minds so if they didn't pick the proper Edward there would be a lot of mayhem. Fortunately, they did a pretty good job picking him and I'd say most of the fans are satisfied with him. I know I am.

After brushing my teeth and showering, I trudged downstairs. My mother was making blueberry pancakes, cheese omelets, and hash browns. On the table was a carton of apple juice, my power juice. Uh-oh. Normally, people world be thrilled to wake up to a breakfast like this. But if you're a Minnesota kid, you know you've got a busy day ahead of you. And in Minnesota, busy days aren't fun for any kid. But especially a teenager. I walked over to the round, oak table and sat down sulkily. My mother noticed.

"What's wrong, sweet pea? You look like you're Entertainment Weekly subscription has just been canceled."

"Did you set my alarm clock last night while I was sleeping?" I asked acidly. My mother looked away guiltily.

"Guess you noticed," she murmured.

"A little hard not to," I said, my voice thick with sarcasm.

"Well I had to. We've got a busy day. Didn't you notice the power breakfast?" she said, gesturing to the giant stack of pancakes and the two omelets she had on the stovetop.

"Why only two?" I asked, looking at the omelets.

"You're dad left early. He's receiving a big stock of nails form his supplier and one of his employees called in sick so he needs to take the order and unpack before he opens shop."

"Oh. So what do we have to do today?"

"We have a bit of a road trip ahead of us."

"Where're we going?"

"Crookston."

"Mom, that's sixty miles away!" I exclaimed, horrified.

"I know. But it's the nearest town to us and we really need to go grocery shopping."

"What happened to our supermarket?"

"They're on strike, remember?"

"Then why can't we go to Grafton? That's only thirty miles away," I desperately offered.

"That's in North Dakota. You know how you're father is about state loyalty."

"What?" I demanded, confused and outraged.

"You're father thinks that buying common items out of state is disloyalty to your state because it means you think other states have better quality than your own," she explained calmly.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! What the hell is that supposed to mean? That he would rather we drive sixty miles to get food than drive half as much to another state for the Taylor thing? It's childish, unnecessary, and a really bad time to worry about loyalty."

"I'm sorry, but that's the way you're father wants it. No more arguing. Now go get ready."

"Why can't I just stay here?"

"I am not about to let you stay home for an entire day while I'm miles away. And you're father's coming home late so don't count on that either."

"Mom, I'm fifteen years old. I think I'm capable of staying home alone." I couldn't believe she was treating me like such a baby.

"That is enough! Now, eat your breakfast quickly, get your things, and get into the car without a sound."

"Fine." I stormed up the stairs. "I hate living in this town."

The drive to Crookston was long. It was just about four hours. To make matters worse, the air-conditioning in the car wasn't working. And then the windows were jammed. And I was on a four hour journey to the supermarket. And to think I was hoping for kismet today. Right.

We parked in an empty spot farthest away from the entrance. Go figure. Well, at least this was a big supermarket. They would have magazines and stuff. We walked inside and it was blissfully air-conditioned. I immediately started walking over to the magazine section when my mother caught my arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"To the magazines?" I said slowly.

"Not a chance. You're helping me today." She started pulling me over to the bread section.

"Wait! Give me thirty seconds." I ran over to the magazine section and grabbed this week's edition of Entertainment Weekly. I had just received my own copy today but forgot to bring it along. I ran back to my mother.

"Ok, let's go." She looked hesitantly at my magazine because she knew I would have my nose buried in it but then she started to walk over to the bread section again.

I was absently flipping through the issue. It wasn't that great. Not much was happening in Hollywood this week. I just finished reading an article about Britney Spears when an article about Twilight caught my eye. I began reading it eagerly.

Shooting for the third movie in The Twilight Saga, Eclipse, is eagerly waiting to start. The cast has gotten their script, the settings have been decided, and the agreements for this movie have been settled with Summit Entertainment. However, director Catherine Hardwicke and author of The Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer, refuse to start shooting until they find a person to play a small part in the movie. They are requesting to find a girl ranging from ages fourteen to sixteen to play the part of Bree, a young girl who turns into a vampire and takes part in the battle between the newborn vampires and the Cullen family and the Quiluete wolf pack. This girl not only gets to play this part but will be able to hang out with the main cast as said cast has requested. This is an open casting call and will take place in Portland, Oregon, where the cast and crew are currently located for shooting. Auditions will begin at precisely twelve PM on July 27 at the Portland Oregon Life center.

I dropped the magazine. Looks like my kismet has arrived. This was my chance. An open casting call for a girl my age for my absolute favorite movie franchise. Bree. I knew her. She was the one that surrenders to Carlisle

. The one who tells Jane and Felix, members of the Volturi, the vampire royal family, everything about the battle, about how the exceeding amount of newborns came to be, and the one who get killed by Felix as punishment. It would be a hard role to play. I would have to look deranged because I would be craving Bella's blood because she was the only human in the area. A lot of screaming would be involved. It would probably scare me to look at me play this role but it would fun to play. And would be able to hang out with the main cast. That means the Cullen family and Bella. Even the main werewolves, probably Jacob. I would be able to spend time with them through the entire shooting. Because they requested it. I wonder why they would request that a total stranger about five or six years younger then them spend time with them. All I knew though was that I had to go to this audition.

* * *

**So read and review!!! i hope you like it. there are 7 more completed chapters so you wont have to wait that long in between updates for a bit if you like this. so REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! review this and the main story too. and remember to always Love California**


	4. Orientation

**Damnnnnn you guys!!! when i say i need reviews, i GET reviews. i got 6 more reviews than i asked for. i woke up this morning, checked my mail, and found 26 emails from Fanfic telling me about review alerts, story alerts, favorite alerts, favorite author alerts, etc. i really appreciate it guys and just for that, im gonna get off my lazy ass and try to finish chapter 5. i want 10 more reviews before i update thoughh. **

**Also, i got a lot of negative feedback for the other story i was trying to pass to you guys. so i promise, no more story previews of that story. however, if the reviews are coming slow again, i will put up another review reminder with the next chapter of that story, making you guys THINK i updated Love California when actually your getting one of my crappier stories. looks like it worked before. hehehee evil, i know. anyway, this is one of my favorite chapters. its basically Bella's first morning in college. im sorry the story's moving at a kind of slow pace but i need to establish the BFF (lol) relationship between Bella and Edward before i can move onto anything romantic. once the gang is back from Thanksgiving Break, i PROMISE things will pick up. i have a kinda cool twist for this story. okkkk im talking too much. ENJOY!!!**

**Orientation**

After Edward's call I had gone to bed only to be woken up a few hours later by Alice.

"Bella, wake up!" Alice shook me. My eyes forced themselves open and a very perky Alice was staring back at me.

"Alice, it's two o' clock in the morning. When did you get in?" I asked groggily.

"A couple of minutes ago. After you and Edward left, Emmett stormed off, saying that he had to talk to someone. So it was just me and Jasper. Dinner was free today and there was no bill to pay so we decided to go for a walk around campus. We talked endlessly. Bella, he's amazing. He's the guy I want to spend the rest of my life with. Do you believe in love at first sight? Because I think this is it," Alice sighed. I yawned and pulled myself up into a sitting position. Alice was kneeling by my bed.

"I believe in love, not at first sight. And I'm so happy for you Alice. I just think you two should wait around for a bit and see where it takes you. Love is delicate and should be carried with the utmost care," I said, still sleepy. Alice nodded seriously.

"You're probably right. Wow, Bella. Didn't know you were so deep. And also, thanks for the cookies. I really appreciate it." I had left the cookies I got from dinner on Alice's desk. She must've eaten them already.

"You're welcome. Eating is a good thing to do," I said with a lazy smile. Alice giggled quietly.

"I know. I grew up in an environment where you had to watch every calorie. So it kinda stayed with me. I usually love to eat."

"Well, don't worry about counting calories here. If you wanna eat like a pig then don't let anyone stop you. I'll eat with you. And you can always count on Emmett too. Speaking of which, how was he when I left?" I asked, laughing. Alice shook her head, smiling.

"If I were you, I'd sleep with one eye open. He was _pissed_."

"Oh, he'll get over it. We always have these little brawls." Alice shrugged and went to her bed.

"Sleep well, Bella. We have a long day tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Alice."

_EmPOV_

Bella would pay for what she did at dinner. I cannot _believe _she mentioned Mr. Sheepers! And for no reason too! I knew we had little spats like this but she started it this time so my retaliation had to be better.

I couldn't ask my roommates for help. Jasper was completely smitten with Alice and Alice was close to Bella. And Edward seemed to be becoming good friends with Bella so that was out of the question too. I decided to enlist the help of Ben. He was a first-string sophomore on the football team. We got to talking earlier today and he was a pretty cool guy.

I left dinner shortly after Bella and Edward to go find him. He was in his dorm looking through his football playbook from last season. When he saw me come in he jumped off his bed.

"Cullen! What's up, man? Excited for the football meeting tomorrow?" he asked coming over to give me a fist punch.

"Definitely. I'm also excited for that Greek thing tomorrow. Edward was telling about the fraternity he wants to join and I'm really starting to like it."

"Zeta Beta Tau?" he asked.

"Yeah. You know it?" I asked. He nodded to his desk. There were a bunch of bumper stickers, fliers, and a hat that said ZBT on them.

"You're a Zeta?" I asked.

"Yup. Most of the first-stringers are in that fraternity. There are a couple of second-stringer wannabes but I think they're all legacies. You'd really like ZBT. We party hard, get the hottest girls, and also have all that "it's good for your future" crap. You know, like internships, job opportunities, and a lot of alumni who can pull some strings for you. We got it all, man."

"That's awesome. I'll come check it out tomorrow," I said.

"So what's up?" Ben asked. I smiled devilishly.

"I actually need some help with something." I quickly explained to Ben what I wanted to do. He agreed to meet me at Bella's dorm at six in the morning. I went back to my dorm and set my alarm. Bella had given me her spare key to her dorm, to which I was grateful. Regretfully, I had also given her mine but I pushed that thought out of my head and focused on the look on Bella's face when she gets surprised.

My alarm went off at 5:50 and I made my way to Bella's dorm. Ben was already there waiting for me. I slid the key in the slot and turned the handle when the light turned green. Bella and Alice were both asleep in their beds. Alice looked like a little doll in her pink cloud of a bed. Bella looked so peaceful in slumber that I almost changed my mind about what I was going to do. But then I saw her suitcase peeking out from under her bed and remembered that Mr. Sheepers was in there.

I slowly peeled Bella's blanket away from her and hooked my arms under hers. Ben grabbed her legs and we carried her out the door. She was a pretty heavy sleeper so I knew this wouldn't wake her up. It was a long walk but we finally made our way to the aquatic center. It was already bright outside and I prayed the sunlight wouldn't wake her up. We walked to the edge of one of the pools and started to shake her. Her face scrunched up as she started to wake up.

"Emmett?" she asked sleepily, confused. I smiled.

"Karma's a bitch," I said simply. She looked genuinely confused as she started to process her surroundings.

"Wait, wha—AHHHHH!" she screamed as we threw her in the pool.

_BPOV_

I suddenly felt my body hit cold water. I didn't know what was happening until I was underwater and could taste the chlorine in the pool. I sputtered and splashed around.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" I screamed once I was able to breathe properly again. I began to start treading the water. Thank God I could swim. Emmett just smiled obnoxiously.

"Making you pay," he said smugly. He high-fived the guy standing next to him.

"By almost drowning me?" I yelled. I wasso _mad_. Emmett rolled his eyes.

"Please, I knew you could swim," he said, shrugging it off.

"Emmett, I was half asleep! Do you know how dangerous that is, you idiot?" I swam to the edge of the pool and hoisted myself out.

"Yeah, that's why we woke you up first." He and the guy standing next to him burst into laughter.

"Emmett, man, I gotta jet. I gotta help set up the ZBT house. I'll see you there later?" he asked. Emmett nodded.

"Yeah, I'll you there, Ben." Ben walked away.

"Who was that?" I sneered.

"Ben Cheney. He's on the team with me," Emmett explained. I turned to him.

"You're dead to me," I said as I started to walk away.

"Bella, c'mon! It was just a joke!" he called after me. I kept walking.

I was soaking wet. I was glad the tank top I wore to bed was dark blue. It would've sucked if it were white. I probably was a spectacle to all the other students around campus who woke up early as I made my way back to my dorm, especially since I was ranting to myself.

"…that inconsiderate, selfish bastard! Cannot _believe _he did this to me. I gonna get him back, I swea—oof!" I walked right into Edward, who was gleaming with sweat. He smirked and looked amused.

"Um, good morning?" he asked, trying to hold back his laughter.

"No, it is most definitely _not _a good morning! I'm gonna kill him!" I yelled. Edward laughed.

"And who do I need to go warn?"

"Emmett," I growled. Edward burst out into laughter.

"He got his payback?" he asked in between laughs. I gave him such a ferocious glare that he stopped laughing at once.

"Okay, okay. It's not funny. What did he do?"

"Him and some other freak carried me to the pool while I was sleeping, woke me up, and then threw me in. Do you even understand how dangerous that is?" I yelled. Edward was trying really hard not to laugh.

"Well, you were awake so it couldn't have been that bad," he said. I fumed.

"I was disoriented! _That's _why it was dangerous. You _never _throw a disoriented person into water. What if I freaked and inhaled a lot of water? I could've died!"

"Alright, let's not get so melodramatic. I'm sure that wasn't Emmett's intention. It was dangerous, yes, but I think he just wanted to get you back and have a good laugh at the same time. You aren't hurt right?"

"Well, no. But—"

"Then it's fine. Be mad if you want but you don't look like the type of girl who can hold a grudge for too long," he said with another smirk.

"You'll see. I'm never speaking to that son of a bitch again."

"Would you be willing to bet?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I…" I knew I couldn't. It was _Emmett _for God's sake. I could never hold a grudge against him. He was too damn good of a brother. Stupid brother.

"Ugh, I guess your right," I sighed. I started to wipe off water droplets from my arms and looked back at Edward. He was uncomfortably picking at him shirt, which was covered in sweat, and was dangerously close to lifting it up to reveal his stomach. And I wasn't too sure if I could maintain my ground if I saw a semi-shirtless Edward.

"Why're you so sweaty?" I asked.

"I just finished running. Gotta stay in shape for football, you know?" He gave me another one of those stunning crooked smiles and, surprising even myself, I didn't swoon.

"Oh. Where you going now?" I asked.

"Well, look who's a little stalker? Is that a female friend thing? I wouldn't know. You're my first," he said, lifting an eyebrow. My face immediately went into flames.

"I didn't mean…I just wanted…I-I-I—"

"Relax. I was kidding. I'm heading to my dorm now. Orientation starts in two hours and I gotta shower and get ready. And I'll be sure to tell Emmett you forgive him."

"Please don't. I'd rather he suffers for at least a couple of hours," I said forcibly. If I only wasn't so sensitive…

"Fair enough," he shrugged. I suddenly started to feel the uncomfortable cling my clothes had to by body. I was sure most of the girls in my dorm were already up, wanting to look perfect for their first day of college. I sighed.

"I _really _need to go shower. These pajamas were not made to be wet."

"And I should probably shower before I start to make my eyes water." I laughed. I was pretty sure a guy like Edward could never smell bad. It didn't fit.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at orientation. I really need to hurry. I don't want my new roommate to see me like this."

"Oh, that's right. Jasper's friend is rooming with you guys."

"Jasper's friend?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah. He and Rosalie were best friends since they were kids. He was thrilled when he found out she was coming here. They're almost like brother and sister. That's what he told me," Edward explained. I shrugged.

"Well, hopefully we'll turn out to be good friends," I said simply. I said a quick goodbye and ran to my dorm. Alice was just starting to wake up when I ran in.

"Bella?" she asked sleepily.

"Good morning, Alice," I said while looking for my bag of toiletries, robe, underwear, and my clothes for today.

"Bella, why're you all wet?" she asked, confused.

"I didn't sleep with one eye open," I said simply. It took a couple of seconds but she finally got it.

"Emmett," she chuckled. I just nodded, grabbed my bag of toiletries, underwear, and robe, and ran out the door.

The girls' bathroom was just at the end of this floor. The boys' bathroom was on the other side. When entered the bathroom, I stood, my feet rooted into the floor, and took in the scene before me. It was a scene that could be described as two different things: a guy's paradise or a girl's nightmare.

There were half-naked and naked girls running around everywhere. It was utter chaos. There was a short line for the showers so I patiently waited for my turn. The bathroom was basically a large room with multiple curtained showers. There was another room adjacent to this one where I was sure was the room where the girls dried their hair and, if they were quick and lucky, straightened and curled and did their makeup.

My turn finally arrived and I jumped in and out of the shower, not wanting to dawdle for too long. I quickly grabbed the towel I took from the stack near the entrance of the bathroom, dried myself off, twisted the towel in my hair, put on my underwear, slipped on my robe, and went to the vanity room. There was another line to get to the mirrors where all the hair dryers were and I was getting impatient. I wondered how Alice was getting ready. Finally I got to the front of the line. I started drying my hair really fast. I put the hair dryer down while it was still running and started to comb through some extra knots in my hair when another girl cut the line and started to dry her own hair with my dryer.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. The girl turned to give me that obnoxious "what do you want?" glare. But this enabled me to look at her face. She was excruciatingly beautiful, even with messy wet hair. It looked like a blonde wave of radiance. I could only imagine what it must've looked like when it was done properly. Her face was enough to kill the self-esteem of any girl standing nearby. She was only wearing her bra and underwear, the fancy lacey kind, and I was able to get a good look at her body. Her stomach was perfectly toned, an obsession she must have no doubt, her legs went on for miles, she had that perfect California tan, and in a complete non-homosexual kind of way, she had breasts that any girl would kill for. I was envious before I realized this was the same girl who gave me the dirty look in the traud yesterday.

"What?" she said bluntly. I was automatically put into fury just at the attitude she was giving me.

"Who do you think you are?" I asked.

"Um, I think I'm the girl who got here first," she replied icily.

"Are you blind? Or maybe deaf? Because I was using this not even two minutes ago. And who are you to be cutting lines like you just did?" I asked accusingly. She just scoffed.

"Well, I think you're the one who's blind. I was standing right behind you. What's the word for people like you? Airhead, perhaps?" she said arrogantly.

"Oh, there'll be nothing _but _air in your head once I'm through with you," I said menacingly, advancing towards her.

"You wanna fight? You obviously don't know who you're dealing with."

"A soon-to-be airhead, perhaps?" I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Ok, break it up!" A petite brunette put and hand on each of our shoulders and pushed us farther away from each other. "Either finish with the dryer or take this outside because there's a line and my hair is starting to frizz." I glared at the blonde goddess one more time before gathering my things and walking back to my dorm.

While walking back a group of guys, towels wrapped around their waists, started to whistle.

"Hey baby. Watcha hiding under that robe?" one of the guys called. The other guys started laughing and praising him. I rolled my eyes and continued to walk. If there was anything I hated about co-ed dorms, it was this. Why did guys and girls have to live on the same floor? Why couldn't we be separated by floors? I felt incredibly bad for the girls who had to room with guys. How awkward must that be? I thought it was bad when Alice and I found out that two obnoxious guys, who happened to be best friends from high school, were our dorm neighbors. I thought I would hate living in the dorm. While we were unpacking yesterday they had the nerve to come by and hit on us. It was incredibly uncomfortable but we ignored them and they soon got bored and went away. I never had guys hit on me before, so I had absolutely no idea how to handle anything. But Alice completely kept her cool and continued to talk as if nothing was happening which kept me more at ease. I walked back into the room to find Alice already showered and dressed.

"Hey. How'd you get ready so fast?" I asked, quickly pulling on my clothes.

"There's a prep room next to the boy's bathroom. It has a couple of showers and sinks and stalls so it's convenient. Girls don't use it because it's so close to the boys' bathroom and most guys don't use it because they have no problem waiting for showers and they take really quick ones. A senior on this floor told me about it," she explained.

"Ugh, maybe I'll do that tomorrow. The bathrooms are utter chaos. It was crowded and hot and steamy and I had to wait in a line and there was this one bitch that cut in front of me and was all—"

"Hello?" someone called from the door. I immediately stopped talking and we both looked at the door. Standing there was the blonde bitch I met in the bathroom. Did she seriously come back to have it out with me again? As she caught my eye I glared at her. She responded back with a smirk. Alice didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, can we help you?" she asked politely.

"This is my room," said Rosalie. Alice's eyes lit up. My heart immediately halted to a stop. Did God intend to pull happiness from right under me? On purpose, did he make me really happy with the situation I had going on here only to have it come crashing down?

"Rosalie Hale?" she asked, excited.

"Yup."

"Oh, finally! I've been dying to meet you. My name is Alice Cullen. I'm from here, Los Angeles. And this here is…Bella," she said slowly as she finally noticed the tension rolling off of me and Rosalie. Alice chuckled nervously. "Do you, um, know each other?" she asked.

"Oh yes. We met quite recently actually," I said acidly.

"Yeah. It was really crowded in there, Bella. With the way you are, I hope it didn't make you feel…lightheaded," she said with mock-innocence.

"Trust me, honey, you keep talking and your gonna be feeling a little more than lightheaded," I retorted back.

"Are you trying to say something?" she asked, advancing on me.

"Well, if you actually had something in that pretty blonde head of yours, you would've known that I already did," I said, also advancing on her. I was pretty sure she was about to start ripping my hair out before Alice broke us up.

"Ok, ok. You two don't like each other. I get it," she said, holding us apart. I went and sat on my bed while she went and sat on hers at the opposite end of the of the room. Alice stood stuck in the middle.

"Ok, guys. This is not how I planned my college experience to be. And I am _not _a happy camper when things don't go as planned. We three are supposed to be best friends."

"You and _it _can be best friends and you and I can best friends. But I will _not_ be best friends with _that_," I said icily. Rosalie gave me a fiery glare. Alice frowned.

"That's not how I want it to work, Bella. But over time I have come to learn that you can't expect so much of people. So here's what's gonna happen. I'm pretty sure that in a couple of days I can deal with you two hating each other. But you have to be civilized. No more fighting, insulting, bickering, and definitely no more references to the word "airhead" unless we're talking about the candy. These are my rules and if you can't follow them, so help me, I will _make _you follow them because I _will _make this work," Alice said, determined.

I couldn't understand what Rosalie's problem was. I didn't like her because she was a bitch. But she obviously had some problem with me before out little showdown. She glared at me the first time I saw her. Did I do something? I didn't even speak to her or go anywhere near her until ten minutes ago. Did she know I was her roommate and thought that I might've taken the bed that she so painstakingly reserved for herself? Was she just naturally a bitch? Alice was still standing where she was when she looked at the clock.

"Oh, my, God! It's time to go. Orientation starts in fifteen minutes." She went to grab her purse that was on her bed and turned to walk out the door when she suddenly stopped. She was staring at me.

"See something you like?" I asked sarcastically.

"More like something that needs fixing," she said.

"What?" I asked. She kept staring at me, assessing. Finally, she took a breath.

"Bella, your outfit is very boring." I looked down to what a was wearing. I was wearing a pair of comfortable skinny jeans, a long white t-shirt, and my favorite pair of Converse. I didn't see anything wrong with it. It seemed very ordinary.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked. Alice looked at me apologetically and at the same time was scrambling for the right words. Rosalie just sat back and smirked.

"It's just, it's really bland. And it looks so incomplete. Like you took an outfit and took out some of the parts."

"Well, I don't exactly dress to impress," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"That may be so, but it's our first day of college. Don't you wanna look good? Here, just let me help a little." Before I could object to anything she was already digging through her closet. She threw me a long black sleeveless cardigan-like thing that resembled a really long, soft vest. It hit just below my butt. She came to me with a light scarf and wrapped it casually around my neck and slipped on the vest thing. She stepped back to look at her work.

"Well, I think that's sufficiently better. I'm guessing by the looks of those shoes that your not willing to change them? You could trade them for these." She pulled out a pair of dangerous looking black pumps.

"Not a chance, Alice. I have to feel like me somewhere." Alice frowned but put them away. She tried to get me to wear a fedora, saying it would complete my look, but I put my foot down, saying we were late. We already missed breakfast and we had to cross our fingers that there would be something at the orientation.

We ran out the door, myself keeping far away from Rosalie, and started towards Royce Hall where the introduction would take place. As we got onto the Bruin Walk, the famous walkway where a lot of student events happened, it got incredibly crowed, new freshman making their way for the beginning of orientation. When we got to Royce I found the Edward, Emmett, and Jasper waiting for us outside. I couldn't help but notice the flock of girls around them. They didn't seem bothered though. Edward saw us first and waved us over. Alice immediately started smoothing out her hair.

"Bella! Over here!" Edward called. We made our way over and Jasper's eyes lit up when he saw Alice.

"Jazz!" Rosalie called. She started running towards him. Jasper was caught off guard before he realized who was talking.

"Rosie!" Rosalie got to Jasper and he lifted her up into a big hug. Rosalie started to laugh.

"You can still pick me up?" he joked. He scoffed.

"Please, you're practically a feather," he said.

"Am not!" She laughed again. "Oh, it's so good to see you! I was damn bored at home what with you at football camp and all our friends shipping off to different parts of the world. Damn private school. What is it with rich kids going to Paris or the Hamptons or some crap like that for the summer? What is so wrong with Dallas?" she ranted.

"You went to Italy every summer since we were eight for a month," said Jasper. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but you came with me for about two weeks at a time. It's not like I left you stranded to make friends with the possum in your backyard."

"You made friends with a possum? Thought that was the only thing you hated about Texas," Jasper said, confused.

"Well, what else was I supposed to do? It was like a summer pet. I fed it, gave it water, I even got it vaccinated."

"And how did you manage to do that?" he asked.

"It wasn't easy. I couldn't go to a vet because then I would've had to fill out all these papers and my father would've been billed for a possum. So I got the vet technician to give the shots in private."

"Wait, why would the vet tech help you do something like that?" he asked, generally confused. Rosalie flipped her hair and smiled devilishly.

"Jazz, haven't you known me long enough? I can be _very _persuasive when it comes to guys. He was putty in my hands."

"And now that possum is the healthiest one in the wild, right?"

"Right." They both laughed again and turned towards us.

"Guys, this is my best friend, Rosalie Hale. Rose, this is Edward and Emmett," Jasper said. Edward shook her hand politely. Emmett, on the other hand, couldn't keep the drool in his mouth. And Rosalie knew the effect she had on him. When she took Emmett's hand she flipped her hair, causing Emmett's face to go white. That was another opposite we both had. While I flamed red he always ghosted white.

"It's _really _nice to meet you," she said to Emmett, obviously flirting. All Emmett could do was nod.

"And you obviously know Bella and Alice," Jasper said, looking at us. He looked at me for all of two seconds before gazing at Alice. Alice flushed red. I coughed. They looked at me. Alice wasn't too happy.

"We kinda need to go inside before all the seats are taken," I said. Alice sighed but she followed. I passed Emmett without looking at him. I wanted to see how long I could last.

"Bella!" he called. I still ignored him. He ran to catch up with me.

"Bella, c'mon. You told them about Mr. Sheepers. What was I supposed to do?" I kept my face forward and my chin up high, refusing to look at him. He huffed.

"Bella, I know you're not really mad at me." I stopped and turned to look at him.

"You can't say that," I said.

"Sure I can," he said with a shrug.

"Why?"

"Edward told me." I turned to Edward and gave him a look that clearly said "you suck". He just shrugged and smiled apologetically. I looked back at Emmett.

"Fine. I'm not mad at you. But I'm still irritated," I said with a huff. Emmett smiled.

"Just as long as you're not mad?" he asked again. I sighed.

"No, I'm not mad."

"Peanut butter slap-clap-snap?" he said, sticking out his pinky. I just rolled my eyes and hooked my pinky around his. How could I ever be mad at him?

We entered Royce Hall. It was quite large. Then again, it was like a mini concert hall for things like the Los Angeles Philharmonic. We quickly found seats and waited for someone to come out on stage. A man soon emerged from the side and positioned himself in front of the microphone.

"Good morning. My name is Rod Lewis and I am the Dean of Students. I'd first like to start by saying welcome and congratulations on your admission into UCLA. Each of you was picked individually by our hard-working admission counselors based on your academic abilities and your personality traits. By being accepted into UCLA, you have shown us that you are not only dedicated to your studies, but you also posses characteristics that can really add a lot to the university and can keep it up at its top ranking. We are the Ivy League of all public universities. UCLA has a reputation to maintain and we're sure you all can live up to it.

"Speaking of reputations, I'd like to talk about two of the biggest programs here at UCLA: our Athletics program and the Greek system. They are two of our most popular programs. UCLA has won fifty-nine NCAA medals. And those involved in the Greek system receive some of the highest GPAs in the university. After the orientation is done, please look on a bulletin board in any building to see which sports are holding tryouts if you are interested. Now, for those of you willing to go on the Greek Tour to explore the different sororities and fraternities on campus, you maybe please leave now and wait outside Royce Hall. You will be instructed what to do there. Those of you staying here, we will discuss the happenings here on campus, classes, and how your years here at UCLA will benefit you in the future." We got up from our seats and saw that there were hundreds of other students getting up too. There were 12,000 students total though so there was still an adequate audience.

As we got out of the auditorium we saw a bunch of upperclassmen wearing t-shirts that said GREEK on them. Guys were wearing blue shirts with yellow writing and girls were wearing yellow shirts with blue writing. I assumed these were the people who were going to be conducting the Greek tours. Their job seemed to be to separate the girls from the boys so we said our goodbyes to Edward, Emmett, and Jasper and went to the girls side. A couple of more minutes and they finally sorted out everyone properly. A girl got up in front of our side and took a microphone from another girl.

"Hey everyone! Wow, it's so great to see so many faces here! My name is Libby Creller and I'm the president of UCLA Panhellenic. First off, congratulations on getting into UCLA!" There was a quick cheer from all the girls and some applause. The sorority girls behind Libby were also clapping. Libby raised her hands for silence.

"Now that you've gotten into a kick-ass school, it's time to find out how you're going to enjoy your time here. Joining a sorority is one of the most wonderful things a girl can do. But before you decide to join one, you have to consider a few things. Do you like meeting new people? Do you enjoy serving the community? Do you like going to parties or just having a good time with your friends? Do you like doing well in school? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then you will find home in a sorority. You will find yourself in a room full of girls who want to be with you and who will help you not only during your college years but also in life. Your sisters are your sisters for life and will always be there for you. Being in a sorority is like living with a very large family. It's not always perfect. You'll have your ups and your downs but at the end of the day, you still love each other.

"Some of the perks of joining a sorority are meeting new people. You come to college knowing no one, or at least almost no one. It's not high school anymore. A sorority is like an automatic group of friends because you're all here for a common purpose and therefore have common interests. Another thing is no matter how busy we get, you _will _get good grades. The Greek system, especially here at UCLA, pride themselves in being able to balance having a good time, and we have a _very _good time, and getting good grades. You will find that all sororities have a grade-point average that must be achieved and maintained by all members in the sorority. We have study hours, study groups, tutors, and everything you need to reach your goals. We are really strict about attending sorority meetings and events. However, at UCLA, academics are always the priority so if a Greek event comes in the way of your academic life and you have to miss it, just tell your chapter president your situation and she will let you slide. Don't be skipping your study hours or homework just to attend meetings or parties.

"Speaking of parties, that's a big thing in Greek life. Each sorority has a sister sorority and a brother fraternity and many times those Greek communities will get together and have mixers, date parties, etc. During recruitment you will learn more about that. Also, each sorority has a philanthropic cause, which is basically a cause that that sorority supports so you will notice a lot of community service not only to that cause but also to the university and the community.

"There are a lot of stereotypes about sorority girls being blonde, ditzy, rich, spoiled little brats who have their daddies give them anything. Hollywood doesn't give us the best reputation. The truth is we are so much more than that. We are women who enjoy having fun and also pride ourselves in doing well in school. We are committed to lifelong sisterhood and in making the world a better place. So, is joining a sorority the right thing for you?" There was a loud cheer. I looked over to where the fraternity group went. I saw that they had moved further away from us and a guy was still talking with the microphone.

"Ok! Now, there are roughly 450 of you so I need you to split into groups of about thirty. By the time you're done there should be fourteen groups. The sorority sisters behind me are more than willing to help." There was suddenly a lot of movement, girls trying to find a group. Alice, Rosalie, and I stuck together. We decided that each of us would try to round up ten girls. It was the easiest way to get to thirty. It took us about fifteen minutes but we now had a group of thirty girls. We stuck together until Libby came back with the microphone.

"Ok, guys. This is your tour group. A sister will be assigned to you to be your tour guide around Greek Row. Have fun and the best piece of advice I can give you is make sure to meet all the girls in the sorority. This way, you can be sure that you'll be comfortable with the company, learn more about the sorority, and possibly, if you like the sorority, impress them enough to give you a bid. Good luck, girls. And you can see me at the A-Phi house. See ya." Libby walked away and upperclassmen sisters started making their way to find a group they could guide. A small, petite redhead with a pretty face and light skin came to our group.

"Hey, girls. My name is Briana and I'm gonna be your Greek guide. Follow me." It was about a fifteen minute walk. We probably looked like a parade, especially since the boys joined us about five minutes into the walk. Jasper caught up with us first.

"Hey guys. So, how was your Greek introduction?" he asked.

"It was alright. She talked a lot about what sororities do and stuff like that," I said. Edward and Emmett then came.

"Hey. How was the thingy?" Emmett asked. I rolled my eyes at his poor choice of words.

"It was cool. I think I really wanna join one of these things," I said.

"How was yours?" Alice asked shyly, looking at Jasper. Jasper smiled back. Edward raised his eyebrows.

"It was good. I'm really excited. I'm mostly excited to see ZBT," Edward said, his eyes lighting up.

"What ZBT?" Rosalie asked. Emmett immediately jumped to answer the question.

"Zeta Beta Tau. It's the fraternity all the athletes join. _First-string _athletes. I'm the linebacker on the football team." He puffed out his chest a little. His little explanation worked though. Rosalie definitely looked impressed. I was fighting the giggles that were about to emerge.

"Well, that's quite impressive. Must take a lot of muscle to take on those huge football players. Then again, you're probably a lot bigger than them, right?" she said flirtatiously. Emmett could only nod with his eyes wide open. Rosalie turned to smirk at me. What was her problem? Before I could ask her that, Edward came up to me.

"So what sorority were you thinking of joining?" he asked.

"Alpha Phi. Alice said it's the sorority she wants to join because she's a legacy and all that but I did look into it and it honestly looks like a great sorority to join. Plus, the president of Panhellenic is in that sorority so it must have good influences."

"Yeah, I know. Esme was in that sorority and she says she had the best years of her life there. She did a lot for them but I'm not sure what. Maybe the sisters there will know. But hey, ZBT and A-Phi are brother and sister so we'll be seeing a lot of each other if we get in. If we don't then we'll still see a lot of each other because I'm still rooming with your brother. We can't move into the house until sophomore year. Wow, listen to me talk about already moving in. We really should be worrying about impressing the active members. After all, they're the ones who're going to decide if we get in or not." He a look of worry flashed across his face quickly. I laughed.

"C'mon, Edward. Even you know they're going to love you. You just have this natural draw towards people, both male and female. It's called charisma. Well, maybe for girls it's called something else but you'll definitely get a bid. And I'm sure you're more than capable of surviving pledging. So don't sweat." Edward cracked a gorgeous smile.

"Thanks, Bella. You really are a good friend."

"And so are you. Your welcome." We finally reached the intersection that would lead to the sorority houses and the frat houses. We said out goodbyes and the girls went one way and the guys left the other. It was time for our Greek tour.

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**okkkk so Rosalie is now the bitch we all know and love :D. but don't worry. there is a reason she doesnt like Bella. and it will be explained in the next chapter or the one after that. im not soo sure yet. yeaaa i know about half of this chapter was about Greeklife but i really wanna go to UCLA therefore i know a lot about stuff there, especially Greeklife. although, i dont know if ZBT is actually the brother sorority of A-Phi. i'll probably find out when i tour there next year!!! also, you got your filling of some Bella/Edward interaction. hopefully it'll get better. **

**going back to Greeklife for a bit, i just want everyone to know that i really don't know much about sorority and fraternity reputations at UCLA or any college in particular. its all purely fictional excpet for the names. if any reader out there is part of a sorority or fraternity chapter mentioned in this story, don't take anything personally (unless its a compliment, cause those are always cool). and it would really help if you gave me some info about the sororities and frats, if your a part of them (i dont want anyone looking online for me, although thats really sweet. i want personal experiences). it would really help to make the story more accurate. for example, i read on an online sorority/frat rating system ( i think) that Alpha Phi at UCLA consisted of really bitchy, plastic girls. i dont know if thats true but thats not the reputation im going to give the A-Phi sorority in this story. soo thats why personal opinions would be awesome.**

**again, im talking too much. remember to REVIEW or else you'll get another chapter of the crappy story. and remember to always Love California**

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	5. Greek Row

**Ok, ok, i know. It's been what? almost 2 months? I think we've established by now that i am a HORRIBLE updater. The truth is, school, and life in general, is a bitch. I have been completely swarmed with homework and tests and frankly, my grades were kind of sucking. And when i wasn't completely overthrown by life, i had legit writer's block. I actually considered discontinuing this story. Can you believe that?!? But i have decided not to and after a nice long Thanksgiving break, I sat my ass down and continued to write. I was so desperate to get this out to you that you will find that the writing isn't all the great towards the end. My writer's block semi getting in the way. **

**I can't exactly tell you when Chapter 6 will get out because i finished Chapter 5 literally 10 minutes ago. But kind of have an idea of what i want to happen so hopefully that will fill at least 10 pages. I know what's gonna happen later in the story so the problem now is to fill in the gap between now and then. I'm more of a go along as I write type of person than a planning person. I do both sometimes. For example, I have bits and pieces of the later chapters already written but I have no idea where they're gonna go and most likely, they're probably gonna change by the time I get to put them in the story. Anyway, i'm rambling. Please enjoy the next chapter. I'm so so so so sorry i didn't update sooner. You have every right to want to beat me to the ground. I promise i'll try to get a start on Chapter 6 soon. I love living in this story. Thanks for those of you who are sticking with me. And REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!****Greek Row**

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"Welcome to Greek Row ladies. Well, technically it's more like Sorority Row because all the sororities are on this street but we like the keep it vague. This is Hilgard Avenue and home to us sisters. All the Panhellenic sororities are housed on this street. There are eleven Panhellenic sororities. They are Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Tri-Delta, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Pi Beta Phi. Today we will be visiting all of these houses so that you guys get the chance to meet the girls and process your surroundings. At the end of the tour you will have to submit a form with your name that labels the top three sororities you want to join. Tomorrow you will attend rush at your top-choice sorority. There, the active members will decide and judge whether they want to give you a bid or not. The way it works is each sorority is allowed to select up to 45 girls. If you don't get a bid from your top choice sorority, you will be placed in one of the three choices you picked through a computer program. Sometimes, girls have lucked out and were placed in their top-choice sorority through the computer program. If that's the case, then you're just incredibly lucky."

I looked around. All of the houses were huge, with pillars in the front and everything. They had manicured lawns, great landscaping, and the letters of the sorority were proudly mounted on the front wall of the house. It looked like a great place to live. I actually started to picture myself walking on the sidewalks here. There were no girls walking now. They were all in their respective houses, waiting for us. Briana continued to talk.

"Each sorority has a rich history and when you become a pledge, you will be required to learn it along with a bunch of other stuff. We came to a house.

"Our first house is Gamma Phi Beta." And so on it went like this. We visited sorority houses, they explained what they were all about, what they did, and then gave us all pens with their letters on them. We finally came to Alpha Phi, which was right in the middle of Greek Row.

"Ok, ladies. This is the legendary Alpha Phi house. Some of the most successful girls in the university come from this sorority. As you saw, the president of UCLA Panhellenic is in this sorority. Right now she's being considered for the Order or Omega, which is a prestigious group that chooses girls who have displayed excellence in leadership, sisterhood, and academics. If she gets selected she'll be on the road to joining the National Greek Council, which is the council who governs all sororities and fraternities in the nation. Pretty cool, right? There are other great women here, too. Josie Columns, the president of the Student Council, is a sophomore here and she's in this sorority. There are seven other girls who are part of the Student Council. The three girls who are in charge of Greek Week, UCLA's biggest Greek event, are in this sorority also. There's so much more but I can't really think of anymore. Wow, I guess your wondering why I'm talking so much about this sorority in particular. This is my sorority. So, who knows? Some of you could be my future sisters!"

We walked into the house and were greeted by the congregation of all the sisters at the foot of the magnificent staircase.

"Welcome to Alpha Phi!" they all cheered. They were dressed in different variations of white dresses, just like the picture from the brochure. I was finally able to get a clear view of all the girls.

There was definitely variety. They weren't all blonde so that was a plus. Not that being blonde is a bad thing, just that they weren't _all _blonde. There were some blondes, brunettes, redheads, and there was a lot of ethnicity too. A couple girls were Chinese, some were Indian, and a couple were Hawaiian. And though they were all so different, they was a common factor in all of them. They were all _gorgeous_. Each and every one of them had cascading hair, beautifully made faces, and awesome bodies. I had difficulty seeing myself as a part of them. How could Miss Plain Jane in high school go from that to _this_?

We followed the girls to a big room. It looked like it was probably a living room but the couches were moved to the side and a podium was at the front. The girls filed behind the sisters and Libby Creller came up to the podium.

"Hey guys! I'm sure you guys remember me. I spoke to you in the beginning. But just to refresh your memory, my name is Libby Creller, I'm president of UCLA Panhellenic, and this is my sorority. The A-Phi sisterhood has so much to offer and so much of it can benefit you later on in life. To explain more, here's our chapter president, Leanna Shafer." We all applauded as a pretty brunette came to the podium.

"Hi everyone. As you now know, my name is Leanna Shafer and I'm president of this chapter. Being an A-Phi has been such an experience for me these past three years. It's been filled with so much love, support, and a hell of a lot of fun from my sisters. Right now I would like all the sisters who aren't seniors to step up to the front." About half the girls stepped up.

"Us seniors are going to be here with you all this year but after that, these will basically be your sisters for most of your college experience, especially the sophomores. We will be giving a bid to fifty girls. Depending on how many girls come to rush, this will either work to your advantage or disadvantage. Getting a bid to join Alpha Phi is incredibly prestigious. We are the number one sorority on campus and need to pick pledges who can uphold our reputation. We can't be lazy and have to be extremely strict or else, well, we'll end up like the Pi Betas." All the girls let out a simultaneous shudder and I made a mental note to ask one of the girls what was wrong with Pi Beta.

"So before continuing I would just like to know if Alice Cullen is in the group," Leanna said, scanning our group. Tiny Alice started jumping up and down raising her hand, trying to be seen. Leanna smiled.

"Looks like we met out final legacy. We met Jessica Stanley in another group. Your mom was Esme Rollins?"

"Well, Esme Cullen now," Alice responded. Leanna nodded.

"Esme is one of out most celebrated sisters. She led this sorority to victory during Greek Week with her amazing idea for the Talent Show portion in 1982. That same year she won us the Greek Cup with her surplus of philanthropy hours volunteering at the California Heart Center and she made Alpha Phi the sorority with the highest GPA by tutoring the girls and putting in her own spectacular grades. She was the face of Alpha Phi: Captain of the UCLA Spirit Squad, president of Student Council, president of this sorority, voted Greek Woman of the Year by Delta Sigma Pi, who give out that award every year, and was generally loved by the entire student body because she didn't stay locked with those within the Greek system. She went out of her way to get to know everyone and supported many causes. 1982, her graduation year, was a very prosperous and important year for Alpha Phi because that was the year we earned our number one spot, thanks to Esme. And to this day, twenty-seven years later, we do her justice by maintaining our spot that she worked so hard for. Alice, I hope you know how lucky you are to have a mother like Esme." The sisters and out entire group started to applaud while Alice beamed. So that's what Edward meant when he said Esme did a lot for this sorority.

Esme has such a wonderful life. She was prosperous in college, married to a rich and compassionate man who loves her more than anything, lives in Beverly Hills, is beautiful, and has two amazing kids. I hoped that I would be able to follow in her footsteps. God knows I didn't want to follow my mother's. Leanna cleared her throat.

"Ok, so are there any other questions before you get to meet the sisters?" Rosalie raised her hand. Leanna nodded for her to proceed.

"What do you look for in the girls when deciding to give them a bid?" she asked. Leanna smiled.

"That's a really good question. What's you name?"

"Rosalie Hale."

"Well, Rosalie, two of the most important factors in a sorority are reputation and image. You will notice if you look at the sisters now and pictures of sisters from past years, that we generally pick girls who are attractive. Now, that may seem a bit shallow, but bear in mind that image is incredibly important. For example, what if Zac Efron looked like Clay Aiken? High School Musical would definitely _not _be the success it is today. Sure, Clay Aiken is a nice person, but so is Zac Efron. So if you were to put the two of them together, which would you pick? That's the way we pick the girls. It's kind of like college applications. You take two students who are exactly alike and compare them. The only difference is that one student took Spanish while the other took Chinese. Who do you think they're going to pick? Obviously the student who took Chinese because it's a harder language to learn.

"But, like I said, it's not all looks. You have to be able to maintain a reputation. During rush, if you decide to rush this sorority, you will all meet me at one point. I will have all your names in my palm pilot and I'm kind of going to interview you. We look for girls who like getting good grades and at the same time like to have fun. Most importantly, we look for girls who can put a balance in between that. Girls also must show confidence, kindness, and general interest in the sorority. Finally, you must show that you're not, and I can't put it into kinder words, a slut. That's something we would like to avoid immensely. Sometimes we can't do anything about it because the girl is a legacy," I swear, all the sisters looked slightly to the left, I'm guessing at one of the sisters, "but if you're not a legacy and you're chosen, this basically means you have shown all the qualities of an A-Phi sister. That's a compliment in itself. So I hope that helps you all. Anymore questions?" No one raised their hands.

"Awesome. You have the next twenty minutes to talk to the sisters. Rosalie started to look for an available sister. Alice smiled at me before going to find her own sister to talk to. I was left to stand aimlessly until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find a pretty blonde girl smiling at me. She was really small but she looked nice.

"Hi. My name is Jane. I'm guessing you were looking for a sister to talk to," she said kindly. I nodded, a little embarrassed.

"I'm Bella Swan," I said shyly.

"Bella. That's so pretty! Ugh, my name is so boring. Jane. All I can think about is Tarzan when someone says my name." I laughed. I was afraid there would be a sudden awkward silence in between us but Jane prevented that from happening.

"So where are you from?"

"New Jersey. Not exactly the most exciting." Jane shrugged.

"Nah, it's fine. I'm from Nevada so that's not much better. You have any siblings?" she asked.

"Yeah. My twin brother, Emmett. He goes here too." Jane's eyes lit up.

"Oh, my, God! You totally have to introduce me one day! What's he majoring in? Where is he rooming? Does he play sports? Is he hot? No, don't answer that. That's weird. Well?" She looked at me expectantly. I laughed.

"He's majoring in Pre-Law. Kind of surprising for a guy like him. He's rooming at Acacia/Birch. He's on the football team here and I have a picture of him so you can decide if he's hot or not." I took out my phone and showed her a picture of me and Emmett in Arizona while we were driving here. Her eyes got really wide.

"T-that's your brother?" she asked, in awe.

"My best friend. We do everything together and tell each other everything. Well, _almost _everything. There are some things I really don't need to know about him. I'm older by ten minutes but Emmett got the better end of the stick. More popular, more athletic, better-looking. I was just smarter." Jane rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, Bella. You're gorgeous! You're an A-Phi waiting to happen. Well, you would be if we picked pledges based purely on looks. But I'm sure you qualify in everything else. You don't _look _like a slut." She waggled her eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes but felt my heart swell with pride. _I was pretty enough to be an A-Phi? _That couldn't be true. If I was that pretty, I would've gotten a lot more dates in high school. I would've actually been _asked _to prom rather than sitting at home watching _Never Been Kissed _while Emmett took some slut from the dance team. What was her name? Lisa? Kate? Something I guess…

"Bella?" Jane snapped me out of my thoughts. What were we talking about? Oh yeah, I wasn't a slut.

"Seriously, I am the _last _person to be considered a slut. I will be a slut when every girl on this campus is either pregnant or has an STD and all I did was kiss a guy." Jane laughed and looked back at Emmett.

"You're brother is really hot. You think you can hook me up?" she asked. I'm sure she was joking but my protective instincts did act up and I guess she noticed.

"Whoa, relax. Just kidding. An A-Phi sister would never hook up with a brother of a sister unless he shows interest first," she recited. I chuckled.

"Sorry. It's just that he's my _brother_. I'm not sure how I would take it if one of my friends hooked up with him. Plus, he's a _freshman_. I'm pretty sure there a lot of hot guys out there who are _older_."

"Maybe. So, do you have any questions about the sorority?" I thought for a minute before remembering something.

"Why does Alpha Phi not want to be like Pi Beta?" I asked. Jane shuddered before answering.

"Pi Beta is the one sorority on our row that gives sororities everywhere a bad name. They are the reason we are stereotyped. For example, last year during the Undie Run, Pi Beta came in with light gold thongs and silvery-blue bras. Obviously they were punished. Misty Carrey, the Panhellenic president last year, had to get the IFC council _and _campus security to escort them back to their houses. They were a bit stubborn. They were put on probation for a couple of weeks and had ten points deducted from their overall Greek count, which you know is the point system we use for the inter-Greek house competition, but that didn't stop the rest of the student body from thinking we were a bunch of sluts. It didn't matter that the rest of us were fine. Non-Greeks tend to think of us as one whole group therefore if one house messes up, we all suffer." A look of sadness came across Jane's face.

I was pretty sure we visited the Pi Beta house. From what I got, they weren't exactly the nicest people. They were too sugary sweet for my taste. And they kept talking about how they were the only sorority who didn't judge people like the rest of the sororities. I guess I knew why now except their reasons weren't good. They put a lot of emphasis on mixers and parties and even taught us the Pi Beta "suggested" dress code. They used the sisters as examples and it didn't exactly leave much to the imagination, so to speak.

"I'm just gonna flat out say right now that you really shouldn't even consider Pi Beta. And I'm not just saying that because I want to you to pledge A-Phi, and I really do want you to, but because you look like a pretty decent person with a great personality and I would hate to see that get ruined by a ho-rority," Jane finished. She was smiling and for the first time in my life, I felt _wanted _by a group of people. And if we were to classify college in high school terms, Alpha Phi would be the popular girls. And I now desperately wanted to be a part of that.

"Thank you so much for all of this, Jane," I said as I saw Briana starting to round up the group to leave. "I have _finally _made a decision. Thank you."

"No problem. I hope to see you at rush tomorrow!" she called as I walked out the doors. The sisters were simultaneously waving goodbye to us, telling us to come to their rush. We said our final goodbyes and left to go to the next house. Alice came bounding up to me with Rosalie behind her.

"So? What'd you think? Was it not the most amazing experience of a lifetime?!" Alice exclaimed.

"I have to say that I was very impressed. The girls are so nice! I was so afraid I wasn't pretty enough or wasn't good enough to join but one sister actually told me I was an A-Phi waiting to happen!" I exclaimed.

"You'll be good enough to join Alpha Phi when Pi Beta becomes a Christian sorority," Rosalie seethed. I turned to her. I was so done with her _crap_.

"What the hell is your problem? I've known you for maybe 5 hours and you've already taken it upon yourself to make an enemy. Do _not _think I'm scared of you, Rosalie. I don't care how pretty or how powerful you think you are but rest assured, if I had a choice, you would be the first person I would want to mess with," I fumed. Rosalie put her hand on her hip and smirked.

"You know, I keep hearing all these threats from you but they keep adding on and I'm starting to wonder whether you actually intend on hurting me."

"Are you just naturally a bitch or do you have to work at it?"

"Well, being a bitch has its reasons."

"Then tell me what this goddamn reason is!" I exclaimed. "I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong so I can fix it because right now, it sucks to have a roommate you hate!" Her face was struggling like she was looking for the right words. Then it all started spewing out.

"I _always _get what I want. I'm Rosalie freakin' Hale for god's sake! If I want something, it's planted right at my feet, _especially _if it's a boy. And to come to college and start off by wanting something I _can't _have? _That _pisses me off." I stood there dumbfounded for a minute or two.

"So you're bitching at me for a _boy_?" I yelled. This was so _stupid_.

"Yes!"

"But I don't know the same guys you do except for Jasper! I don't even have a crush on a freakin' guy! How can you want a boy that I have _when I don't have any to BEGIN with_?!" I screamed.

"You're boyfriend!" she screamed back. I stood there again. _What the hell…_

"I don't have a boyfriend!"

"Emmett!"

Oh.

I started to laugh. And laugh. And laugh. I was practically crying. My sides were splitting. I looked to my side to see Alice laughing with me, which made me laugh harder. Rosalie was getting pissed.

"Ok, I'm going to warn you now. I get pissed when people laugh at me. So since you didn't know that before, I'm going to give you five seconds to stop laughing before I rip your head off." Alice and I were still laughing. It was almost as if we didn't hear her. I could hear Rosalie counting.

"…three, two, one."

"Stop!" I exclaimed. I took a couple deep breaths before talking. "Um, Rosalie, I'm gonna try to tell you this without laughing in between because this is just so damn funny." Alice let at a giggle. It sounded choked so I was assuming she was trying to hold back. Rosalie glared at Alice before looking back at me. I took one more deep breath.

"Ok, um, Emmett isn't my boyfriend. He's my twin brother." Rosalie stood there for a good few minutes before we realized that we needed to catch up with the group. She turned around and ran off without saying a word.

"That's it?" I asked, incredulous. Alice shrugged.

"Maybe she's embarrassed. I sure as hell would be."

"But she's not going to say anything? She's not going to even _apologize _for today?" I asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Give her time. I'm sure she's a good person. If a person like Jasper can put up with her then she must not be that bad."

"But Jasper looks like the kind of person who could put up with anyone."

"True. But they were best friends. There must be more to her."

"I hope so. I'd hate to live with that."

"I hope Emmett likes her, though. Otherwise there would be no point to all of this."

"Please. I'm sure Emmett was playing fantasies in his head the minute he saw her. He has a thing for blondes. Every girl he dated in high school was one."

"Well, I guess we'll see then." Alice and I ran to catch up with the other girls in our group who were about to enter the Chi Omega house.

The rest of the tour after Alpha Phi was pretty boring. None of them could top what I had experienced at Alpha Phi. I decided that if I couldn't pledge A-Phi, I wouldn't pledge at all. There was no point of going through initiation and pledging if I didn't even care for the sorority. And suddenly I thought of something else that charged my desire for my bid even more. Hadn't Edward said that A-Phi and ZBT were brother and sister fraternities? It would be nice to get to see him all the time, not just hanging around campus but also through the Greek system. He was a shoo-in for a bid. There wasn't a chance on earth he wouldn't get one. But I had to work.

After visiting the final house, we each got a sheet of paper with all the names of the sororities on them. Under that was a bolded line with a big number one. This was where we were supposed to write our first-choice sorority. I immediately printed _Alpha Phi _is clear letters. Under that were two normal lines with the numbers two and three next to them. These were for our second and third choice sororities. I thought for a second before I put down _Chi Omega _for my second and _Kappa Alpha Theta _for my third. Each house had very distinct girls and a good cause but I'd turn down a bid from them if I had to get one.

We all handed in our forms to Briana. From there she will bring them down to the Panhellenic office where they will input everyone's names and choices into the system and will inform all the sororities of how many girls put down their sorority down as a top choice so that they have an idea of how many girls will come to their rush. Rush is tomorrow. And while all the sororities have been preparing for this for months, I only have half a day to make myself look desirable enough to get a bid.

"Well, I hope you've all enjoyed the tour," says Briana after collecting all the forms. "But most importantly, I hope those of you who come to rush get a bid from your top-choice. And remember, if you don't succeed, you can always rush next year. And I know this is kind of pushing forward a little but I might as well share it. When you accept your bid you automatically become a pledge. But pledging does not mean you're guaranteed your spot in the sorority. Pledging is like earning your spot. If at any time during pledging the girls feel like you are not earning your spot, they can dismiss you. But they won't do it until the Presents Ball, which is at the end of pledging. And trust me when I say this. Pledging is _long_. You guys won't become active members until the end of the first semester, which is sometime in January. Here's my advice to you. If you don't get through pledging, at least make some friends in your pledge class. That way, if you choose to pledge again next year, you'll have a friend who can encourage the sisters to give you a bid and help you through pledging. Any questions?" Alice raised her hand almost immediately. Briana chuckled. "Yes?"

"I couldn't help but notice you said Presents Ball. Do you mind explaining that a bit?" I laughed to myself. Alice would ask that. No doubt, she was already planning her outfit inside her head.

"Sure. Every sorority has a Presents Ball. It's held at the end of pledging season. It's basically a formal party where the pledges are given their active member statuses. It's also where pledges are dismissed because they were inadequate or some other reason. It's a real offense to the person getting dismissed because it's almost like a slap in the face I front of a hundred plus other people. Generally, all the sisters are in attendance, the pledges, obviously, some alumni and their spouses if they choose, friends and possibly family of the pledges, and the brother fraternity and their pledges. I'll use A-Phi as an example. Say for example Alice was at the A-Phi Presents Ball and you were all in her pledge class. You all would be there, plus the sisters in the house. Alice's mom would be in attendance because she's alumni and she would bring her husband if she wants. Now say that Alice had some friends on her dorm floor that weren't a part of the Greek system. They would be welcome to come and support Alice if they didn't completely despise they Greek system, because that quite common these days. Finally, since A-Phi's brother fraternity is Zeta Beta Tau, all the brothers in that fraternity would be in attendance plus their pledges. All in all, it's about a hundred people who come, depending on how many alumni come and how many of them bring their husbands. Actually, Esme came to one of our balls a couple of years ago, though she didn't bring her husband. Did she tell you about it?"

"Yeah. I remember her going for the night. She really didn't say much about it because she said it was better experienced than heard about. My dad will probably come this year though if I get my active membership. Plus, my brother wants to pledge ZBT so he can be here to support both of us," Alice said longingly.

"Don't worry. You've pretty much already got your spot at A-Phi. Most legacies do. Top that off with an amazing alumnus for a mom and a sibling pledging our brother frat and the only thing that will stop you from getting your membership is if you burn our house to the ground." The rest of the group laughed as Alice put a face of horror at the thought of burning the house of her dream sorority.

"Ok, guys. Like I said before, I hope you enjoyed and, as my own personal touch, I hope to see some of you at rush tomorrow. Bye!" We waved goodbye as Briana ran back to her house. The minute she left, Rosalie took a full on sprint back to the dorms.

"Wow. She must really be embarrassed," I said. Alice and I started to walk back to the main campus. She shrugged.

"Like I said. Give her time."

We made it back to campus only to find Edward. Emmett, and Jasper a couple of yards away, buying coffee. Alice immediately starts to pick at her clothes and at the same time, gets bouncier than I've ever seen her. It surprises me that they've only known each other for a day and they can still be so attracted to each other. Edward turns and smiles at us. He turns back to the coffee guy and says something to him. The coffee guy hands him another cup of coffee and Edward pays him. Shit. I really hope he didn't buy that for me. I despise coffee. I never understood how anyone drank that stuff. It was bitter and it made your teeth brown. Sure, it smelled like heaven, but coffee was one of those few things that didn't taste as good as it smelled.

Unfortunately, Jasper turned back to the coffee guy and bought another coffee for Alice, I'm assuming. Oh shit. I couldn't tell him no. This was probably the friendliest thing a guy has ever done for me. Didn't Emmett have enough sense to tell Edward that I didn't like coffee? Oh, I forgot. He's too busy scanning our surrounding area, looking for Rosalie. Sorry lover boy. She's too busy getting over the fact that she was a bitch for nothing. We walked up to them and Alice immediately went to Jasper. I looked at Edward as we handed the cup to me.

"Here. I wasn't sure what kind you liked so I just got what Emmett got. I'm trying to work with the whole twin thing to see what's identical and what's not." I laughed hesitantly and sniffed the cup. It smelled heavenly. Hazelnut and caramel. It's what Emmett had for breakfast every morning. However, when it came to flavor, it might as well had been crap. I'm sure by coffee-lovers' standards it was fine. I heard Emmett had really good taste when it came to getting Starbucks. But honestly, even the most expensive coffee would've tasted like crap to me.

"What about the twin thing?" Emmett asked. He was finally done registering the fact that Rosalie was not here.

"Her taste in coffee. I wasn't sure what she liked so I thought you guys might have the same taste," Edward explained. Emmett let out a loud laugh.

"Oh, that's easy! Bella doesn't need flavor. She hates—"

"When people put cream in my coffee," I said, covering Emmett's words. "I like it black." Emmett looked genuinely confused. Edward had his eyebrows raised.

"Oh. Um, wow. I really didn't figure you as a really strong coffee person. Most girls like all the cream and sugar they can get."

"Yeah, well, I'm not what you would call most girls," I replied, smiling as I took a sip. It took every ounce of restraint I had to keep myself from not gagging it back up. It felt like I was drinking tar. Emmett was still confused.

"Wait, but you hate—" I kicked his shin as he let out a little yelp.

"What's up?" Edward asked. Emmett was rubbing his shin and glaring at me.

"I thought a bee stung me. It was just an ant." Edward shrugged and looked back at me.

"Do you want me to get you another one? I know a lot of people get really pissed off when their coffee isn't done the right way. I'm guilty of that." He gave a sheepish smile. It was cute but still couldn't top his crooked one.

"No, um, it's fine. I'll, um, I'll give it to Rosalie. Maybe she wants it," I said, proud of myself for getting out of drinking the vile substance.

"Nuh uh. The only thing Rosalie will drink is a white chocolate macchiato with two shots of espresso. Anything else is garbage," Jasper said. I resisted the strong urge to flip him off. Emmett was now enjoying my struggle to find an excuse. Edward was starting to look sad.

"I feel bad. I wish I would've known. Let me get you something else if not coffee." I was starting to feel like an ass. I was making such a big deal over coffee. I mentally kicked myself for not acquiring a taste for coffee during high school like Emmett had. All college kids drank coffee. It was the one thing that kept of fueled during those long nights of studying. Without coffee, I was stuck with Red Bull. I might as well drink poison.

"You know what? It's fine. I'm really not all that picky." I slowly choked down another sip of the vile concoction. Emmett was now resisting the probably strong urge to laugh out loud. But Edward seemed satisfied. And that was really all that mattered.

"I promise I'll make it black next time. Heck, maybe I'll try it black. I feel like such a pansy ass knowing my new female friend can drink stronger coffee than me," Edward said, laughing. I let out a shaky giggle. Great. More coffee. Couldn't I just drink tar? Emmett was now silently laughing.

We all started walking back to the dorm complexes. Orientation was not yet over. We all still needed to visit the buildings that specialized in out majors. Edward and I had planned to go together since we had the same major. However, we still had a couple of hours before that part and we were just going to hang out in the guys' dorm. As we were walking, I took fake sips of coffee and made it a point to look like I was enjoying it. Finally, after a sufficient amount of sips, I chucked the cup in the garbage. I was safe for the rest of the day.

We entered the guys' dorm and I threw myself on Emmett's bed.

"I'm so tired! If I could, I'd definitely skip the academic part of the orientation right now." Emmett strolled over and with a small flick of his wrist, he was able to plummet me off his bed. I landed on the floor with a hard thud.

"Ow!" I yelled. I looked up to glare at Emmett. He just shrugged.

"Hope that woke you up," he said simply.

"You ass!"

"Glad to help, sis." I felt someone grab my arm to pull me up. It was Edward. I would've been pleased by the gesture but I could tell he was struggling not to laugh. I looked over at Alice and Jasper and they had the same expressions on there faces. I crossed my arms.

"Go ahead. You'll never let it go otherwise." They started to crack up while I stood in the middle of the room, my face looking completely indifferent. While they were laughing, I looked over at Edward's desk and saw his orientation pass; the one we needed in order to attend the tour of our majors. Mine was still in my orientation folder back at my dorm. I decided to go now. It was a ten minute walk from this dorm to mine and honestly, it seemed like a good opportunity to escape ridicule.

"Alright, I've got to go back to the dorm. I left my pass there," I said, nodding at Edward's pass. Alice stood up.

"Do you want me to come?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I'll be fine."

"But what if a bunch of rapists come at you again?" Alice asked, completely worried now. Edward suddenly looked serious as he stood up.

"Alice is right. Why don't I come with you?" he said. I huffed. Was everyone going to treat me like this for the rest of my college career? I looked out the window and saw that the steps of The Hill were pretty crowded.

"It's crowded. I'll be fine. I won't stop anywhere. I'll just be in and out real fast." I turned and walked out the door before anyone could object. I was eighteen! I didn't need to be treated like a child.

I half walked/half jogged my way up the steps. Truth be told, I was kind of worried about my safety too. I was on constant alert the whole time. I got to my dorm and slid the card inside the key slot. When I opened the door I was greeted with something I was truly not expecting.

Rosalie was sitting on her bed. Crying.

* * *

**Poor poor Rosalie. Let's hope she feels a lot better. And let's hope Bella won't be a bitch to her and will try to make her feel better. **

**This is completely off topic but I just wanted to share the fact that I read a couple of books that I would really like all of you to read. If you frequent Stephenie Meyer's website, you'll remember that earlier this year she made a good recommendation for the book, _The Hunger Games_, by Suzanne Collins. Originally, I didn't want to read the book. It wasn't exactly the type of book I'd read. But a couple of weeks ago my friend read it and said it was really good. So I went out and bought it. I just about fell in love with it. I thought it'd be all about whatever the book description said it was about. But there is a love story in it. And i always love a good love story. So go out and read this book. You won't regret it. And then go read the sequel, _Catching Fire. _I haven't read it yet but I'm sure it's just as amazing. The other book I read is called _The Last Song _by Nicholas Sparks. For those of you who are familiar with Sparks' work, you will know that he has an uncanny knack of providing a heart-wrenching love story that includes some form of tragedy but almost always ends up with the right kind of happy ending that will leave you satisfied and smiling. For those of you who haven't read the books, maybe you've been the movies. _A Walk to Remember, The Notebook_. _The Last Song_ is also being turned into a movie, starring Miley Cyrus. Sparks wrote the book and the screenplay simultaneously. The book only came out in September. And the movie comes out in April. Now, I'm not a big Miley Cyrus fan so if she screws up this movie, i will....you don't wanna know. Oh, btw, when you read the book, make sure to have a box of tissues ready at hand so you don't end up soaking your pillow like i did. Lol. **

**Geez, I ramble a lot. Ok, remember to REVIEWWW!!! Reviewing makes the world go round. If not to comment on the story then to comment on the books that i recommended. Reviewing isn't hard at all. Just click the giant GREEN button. REVIEW!!! And remember to always Love California **


	6. Amends

**Alright, alright, i knoww. I suckk. My only excuses are high school is a pain in the ass, my grades suckked for a while, I had midterms, and I needed to pull my shit together. And what makes this soo sadd is that this chapter is probably not even worth the wait since it's only a filler chapter. I promise, next chapter is rush so that should be exciting. Although, I can't make any promises as to when it will be upp but I'm hoping I'll be motivated to do it since a new marking period started and its like a new leaf has been turned. But without further a do, let's find out why Rosalie was crying.

* * *

**

Amends

It was weird. The girl who made my life hell these past few hours was sitting so vulnerable right in front of me. I had my chance. I had my opportunity to get back at her. Because chances are, these moments probably don't come too often. But try as I might, I'm just not that kind of person. It probably wouldn't have mattered if she tried to kill me. The fact that she was sitting right there, crying, was enough to break my heart. And knowing that right now I was probably the only person who could make her feel better. I walked to her bed and sat silently next to her.

"Do you want to talk?" I asked quietly. She just shook her head no as she continued to sob. I wasn't one to pry to I just sat next to her quietly without talking. I sent a quick text to Alice saying that I was dealing with something and that no one should come and look for me. When Rosalie was done crying, she turned to me and glared.

"What? You're not gonna say anything? No '_You deserve it_' or '_You had it coming_' or '_Sucks for you_'? Come on. Take your best shot. Because you are _never _gonna have this opportunity again." She stared me down, waiting for me to say something. I took a deep breath.

"You were a bitch," I said. She let out a harsh laugh.

"I knew you weren't that big of a person. You're just like the rest of them. You get your chance to wale on the pretty girl and you go all out. Keep going." She made a scene out of making herself look like she was getting comfortable. I looked down at her bed sheets.

"You were a bitch. But so was I." She did a quick double take and I gave her a small smile.

"What are you talking about?"

"When we first met. I made a big deal out of you taking my hairdryer. And then when you started insulting me, I insulted you back."

"You were just defending yourself!" she exclaimed, completely confused. I just shrugged.

"Doesn't mean the things I said weren't bitchy. If I were to make the right choice, I would've just let you insult me and then walked away without saying anything. It's like that saying: '_Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me._'" Rosalie actually cracked a smile while I started to laugh. And then she joined. And then we were both laughing until my sides started to cramp. We started to wind down and Rosalie started to wipe to mascara streaks from her face. With her face clear of smeared makeup and an actual smile on her face, her beauty was not only clear but radiant. She was a goddess, and I think it's safe to say she knew it. Maybe that contributes to why she was in a state.

"Rosalie, you wanna tell me what happened?" I asked softly. She looked down at her bed sheets, clearly embarrassed.

"I don't know if you can tell, but I'm not exactly the type of girl to make a fool out of herself."

"Is this about that thing with Emmett?" I asked. She nodded. I laughed. "Rose, do mind if I call you that?"

"I kind of like it," she said quietly.

"Me, too. But Rose, that's hardly something to be embarrassed about. You made a mistake. Cool. Now I at least know you're semi-human." Rosalie laughed and then went back to looking at the bed sheets.

"I'm still not used to it though. Guys are like second nature to me. I always know what to say and do in front of them. And I did everything I could in front of Emmett and he still looked totally disinterested. He kept talking to you, which is why I thought you two were together. And it doesn't help that he's so completely hot! Bella, seriously, I want to lick every—"

"Ok, I know your hormones are kind of raging right now but we are _not _going to talk about licking my brother. And what the hell are you talking about? He was practically drooling over you the minute Jasper introduced you to him."

"But he didn't talk to me. He kept running after you," Rosalie pouted.

"We got into one of those fights we always get into. I mentioned something about his stuffed sheep to everyone and he got revenge by throwing me into the pool while I was still sleeping."

"_Those _are your normal fights?" she asked, horrified.

"Yeah. But they never last more than a day. This one lasted a few hours, thanks to Mr. Peacemaker-Who-Doesn't-Believe-In-Grudges-And-Has-To-Go-Tell-Emmett-That-I'm-Not-Actually-Mad-At-Him," I grumbled.

"That has to be the longest angry name I've ever heard. Who's Mr. Peacemaker?"

"Edward."

"Oh, are you two cool with each other? Looks like he and Jasper are getting along real well. That I find relieving. Back in Texas, Jasper was popular and all but he spent way too much of his time with me and not enough time with the guys. Of course, the guys worshipped him at his feet for being friends with me. Some thought we were dating. But we were just childhood best friends."

"Did you guys ever try dating?" I asked, intrigued.

"Oh yeah. When your best friend is a guy, it's bound to happen. It was junior year, midway through. It was my friends' fault, actually. They kept putting it into my head, saying that he's been looking at me different, how we'd be so cute together, how that we were both a shoo-in for prom king and queen. I think that's what won me over. The thought of being prom queen. It was a big thing in our high school. But I didn't think of that until we broke up. Anyway, after school one day we went for a walk and went to this pond that we always used to go to. We sat on the ground and I asked him what he saw when he looked at me. He said that he saw his beautiful best friend whom he could always count on. Then I asked him if that was all he saw. His best friend. He was confused at first.

'Should I see something else?' he asked. I became so frustrated when he said that. I thought most guys had enough common sense to know that when a girl asks what he sees in her, it's going in an emotional direction. I told him to forget it and I started to get up but he pulled me back down.

"'Should I see something more?' he asked.

"'I don't know. Do you?' I asked.

"'Well, I can't say I haven't looked before.' Then he suddenly got up on his knees.

"'I'm gonna try something,' he said, 'and you tell me what you feel.' He leaned forward and he kissed me. And, yeah, I did feel something. But he's my best friend. I feel something every time I look at him. But I guess I mistook that for a legit feeling. And we became a couple. And we got everything. Prom King and Queen, cutest couple in the junior class in the yearbook, etc. It wasn't until the end of the year my feelings started to go away. And I realized later that my feelings started to go away once I got everything I wanted. I could also feel Jasper kind of drifting away. So we broke up. I didn't cry over it because he was still my friend. But it became super awkward for a while. It was the start of summer and he had to go off the football camp and I was going off to Italy. I would be the first summer he didn't come with me because we were getting ready for senior year and had to look at colleges and stuff. So I really didn't get to see him until the end of August. And even then it was limited because football practice started.

"It was finally November, at the end of football season, that I finally got irritated and forced him to talk to me. Over the course of that month we worked out some issues and eventually got over the awkwardness and by the time Christmas hit, it was as if nothing had ever happened." I thought for a minute.

"I thought you said you never screwed up in front of guys." She laughed.

"It's different between your best friend and a guy you actually like." We both laughed again.

"So, now that you know my brother is fair game, are we cool?" I asked. She pulled me into a big hug.

"We're cool. I'm sorry I made you think you had a crappy roommate. I can't imagine the stress I put you through."

"Don't worry. Alice was enough to balance everything out," I said. Rosalie giggled.

"She's really a character, isn't she?"

"She really makes me look forward to what this year has to bring." Suddenly there was a knock on our door. Edward walked in. He smiled at our closeness.

"Sorry to interrupt. I just came to remind Bella that our class orientation is starting soon so we should probably start going now."

"Oh, right!" I jumped up and grabbed my orientation pass and started towards the door. Rosalie was giving me a smile that clearly said "Bang the sex-on-legs".

"Alice, Emmett, and Jasper are in the guys' dorm if you wanna go down and meet them," I said, trying to wipe the smile on her face. It just got bigger. She got up, grabbed her bag, and walked out the door in one fluid movement.

"Have fun at your orientation. Make sure to take in _everything_. Seriously, like everything you can lay your eyes on," she gave me a quick wink before she disappeared into the elevator. Edward looked at me, confused.

"What did me mean by that?" he asked.

"Oh, she's just emotionally drawn-back right now. Let's go!" I quickly made my way to the second elevator. We rode down and started to walk to the south campus.

UCLA is split by an imaginary line that has been established by students and the architects and landscapers that built the campus. North campus is the more popular part of campus. That's where all the auditoriums, stores, and student life are. Most of the majors are located there. The south campus, however, is mainly reserved for the science, math, and engineering majors. There's little to none student life here except for students with intense majors studying. Unfortunately, mine and Edward's major is categorized under 'extremely intense'. Pre-med in any college had an average of at least twenty-one hours of classes per week. The rest of the time normally was to finish a term paper, a final paper, study for midterms and finals, and a butt-load of assigned reading. We wouldn't be getting our schedules until the day before classes but I didn't even want to think about the amount of work that was no doubt going to be dumped on me.

We got to Lakretz Hall, otherwise known as the Life Science building, and waited for someone to come. There were already several people here. Most of these people were probably going to be my classmates. Edward and I started to walk around and mingle with people. We met a girl, Angela, who was extremely nice. She was from Washington and wanted to go to medical school like the rest of us. It was nice to make another friend. Edward couldn't be my only one. Maybe she could study with us.

"Excuse me! Can I have your attention please?" called a tall man with a white beard. The room immediately went quiet and all attention was turned to the man with the white beard. The man smiled.

"Well. I at least I know I have an attentive class. But let's see if I have a strong one too. I'd congratulate you for your acceptance to this school but I don't think most of you will be feeling too congratulatory once you start working. Why waste words? You see, for the past few decades, UCLA has maintained the reputation of upholding great academics, great research, and most importantly, producing great students to benefit the people of the world. To keep this reputation, we work our students to the nose. How many here are pre-med?" All but five raised their hands. The man nodded.

"Since the majority of you are pre-med, I'm going to have to ask the others to go to the other room with Professor Clark. He will inform you about the other science courses." A stoutly man led the five student through another door and the man turned back to us.

"The David Geffen School of Medicine here at UCLA is one of the top medical schools in the country. So those of you who are here for pre-med, welcome to hell. At some point during your years here, you will have me as a professor. When you do, don't expect to have a life. Don't expect to spend time with your friends outside of my class. Don't expect to be happy. Happiness is when you get your first acceptance letter to medical school. Anything else is just trivial.

"I know what you're all thinking now. He's crazy. He's one of _those _professors. And I'm sure in a few weeks, I will be given a somewhat rude or insulting nickname invented by all of you. I've had one for every year I've taught and quite frankly, I find it entertaining. And now I know what you're thinking. Doesn't that bother him, knowing that all his students hate him? And the answer is no. Can anyone tell me why?" He looked around. No one said a word. "Come on. One answer. Anyone. I promise, if it's a stupid answer I won't use it as a judgment of your character." Still no one raised their hands. The man was just about to go one when Edward suddenly raised his hand. The man raised his eyebrows.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You don't get offended because you're probably one of those professors who work their students really hard but everything you teach sticks in their heads so that it's there whenever they need it and they never forget," Edward said. The man stared him down but Edward didn't flinch. I just stared at him, amazed at his boldness.

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"Edward Cullen, sir." The man's eyes lit up.

"Cullen? As in the son of Carlisle Cullen?" he asked.

"You know my father?" Edward asked, surprised.

"Of course I know Carlisle! I was his teaching assistant when he went to medical school at the University of Washington. He was my favorite student. Very bright, always willing to learn, and very outspoken. I should've figured his son would want to join the same field. You seem to be just as bright, just as bold, and just as dashing as he was." I still stood in shock. I didn't understand how the Cullens seemed to get the luck of everything. First Alice gets an automatic bid to the perfect sorority because of her mother, and now the scariest professor in our major favors Edward because of his father. Life cannot be that easy.

"Well, actually, Carlisle is my uncle and adopted father. My aunt, and adopted mother, is blood-related to me. So I was not born with the same ambition as Carlisle. I have my own."

"So you choose not to pursue medical television like your father?"

"I think his job is awful," Edward said bluntly. The professor looked surprised.

"Obviously you're not as smart as you seem. That job is incredibly rare and I'm sure it pays more than anyone here can hope to dream. Where are you from, Mr. Cullen?"

"Right here, in LA."

"And _where _in LA?"

"…Beverly Hills."

"Exactly. I wouldn't be complaining about your father's job when it pays for your luxurious life."

"It's not just me. Carlisle isn't too fond of it either. He misses patient interaction." I didn't know what was weirder: the fact that Edward and the professor were arguing about Edward's father's job or the fact that the professor called him _dashing_. I could see the professor starting to get bored with this argument and Edward was starting to get on edge. The professor cleared his throat.

"Well, whatever the reason may be, I don't think you're exactly in a position to be making your own judgments about things like this. You've only just begun, my dear boy. Moving on, all of you will assemble into groups of 10 and an existing student will show you the many aspects of pre-med. You may now form your groups. Oh, and before you leave, let me introduce myself. I am Professor Viralia. Now you know when to cry when you see my name on your schedule. Have a nice day." Professor Viralia walked away without taking one look at us. The rest of us stood there, stunned.

Was he human? Or should we not be surprised if he starts to spark during class. All I knew is, I hope I didn't have him this year. I quickly got my schedule from my back pocket and scanned through it. Looks like everyone else had the same idea. Students were frantically searching through their items for their schedule. A few started to break into tears, just as Viralia had said. I scanned through my schedule a couple of times. _Connors, Shay, Wassman, Callahan, Lipkin_…nope, no Viralia. Not this year anyway. I looked at Edward. He was looked up and down his schedule before he looked at me.

"Viralia?" he asked. I smiled.

"Nope. You?"

"Safe this year. Can I see your schedule?" I handed it to him. He quickly looked over both mine and his before breaking out into a big smile.

"We have all the same classes together! Well, except for Lipkin. But he's at the end of your day. So we basically get out at the same time everyday. We're together for everything except that one class. I have Carey." I suddenly felt a tap behind me. I turned around and found myself staring at Mike Newton. He was smiling, almost mocking me.

"Hi sweetheart. You look like you need a group." He raised his eyebrows, obviously indicating triumphant victory over being able to talk to me. I immediately took two steps back.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked. Edward's head snapped up and he growled. Mike eyes slightly widened as he realized who Edward was but he stood his ground, a little shakier than before.

"Why, little miss, you should be ashamed. You shouldn't be talking to your upperclassmen like that. Especially those who are in your own major."

"Don't call me little miss," I said through my teeth. Mike smirked.

"Well, I didn't happen to catch your name the first time we met. Something got in the way." His eyes flickered towards Edward before looking back at me. Edward stood in front of me protectively.

"We don't need a group, Newton. We can fin our own." The people standing behind Mike were watching intently. This was entertainment for them.

"Yeah, well too bad all the other groups are full and, what are the odds, we're short two people." Edward was about the object when Professor Viralia called us back to attention.

"Well, I can already pick out a few of my students judging by the looks on my faces. Consider yourselves lucky. Freshmen year is always the easiest." Edward and I just stared at each other. _Damn_. "Anyway, you should now be in a group. Tour guides are now allowed to lead their groups. My last words of advice to all of you are medicine is a passion. Without that passion, your life will be a hell-hole not even I can imagine. So while you're on this tour, think about what you want to do with your life. That's all."

* * *

"Hey guys. So how was the orientation?" Alice asked. Edward and I just walked though the door of my dorm where everyone was hanging out. I flopped down on my bed and screamed into my pillow.

"I'm guessing you want to rethink your future?" Rosalie asked. Emmett sat down next to me and rubbed my back soothingly.

"What's wrong cracker-twin?" I glared up at him.

"Cracker-twin?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah. We never figured out why Bella was so pale and I'm not. So I called her cracker-twin 'cause she's as white as a cracker."

"Emmett, we don't look the same because we're not _identical _twins," I groaned. I can't even fathom how many times I've explained this to him.  
"Sure we are, Bells. We have the same birthday. We came from the same mom. I mean, c'mon. Duh. Someone needs to go back on WebMD and look up twins." He looked pretty smug about his "amazing" explanation. I got up and looked him straight in the eye.

"Emmett, identical twins means we are _exactly _the same. If that's the case then please explain to me why you have a penis and I don't." He sat there for a minute before his eyes got wide with realization.

"Just so we're clear, we are _never _to speak about my penis again." We all laughed before I fell down back on my bed.

"So are you gonna tell us what happened or do we need to guess," Jasper asked.

"Bella had a very not so pleasant encounter with Mike Newton," Edward explained. Emmett jumped up.

"What the hell was that bastard doing at your orientation?" Emmett yelled.

"He's a pre-med sophomore. My senior. My upperclassman. He's supposed to be our freaking mentor. How am I supposed to be mentored when my mentor is constantly trying to hit on me?" I moaned.

"And feel you up," Edward growled between his teeth.

"He FELT YOU UP?!?" Emmett yelled again. He was beet red.

"Well, if you consider a grope in the ass 'feeling up' then yeah."

"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch," Emmett growled.

"No point. He's still my upperclassman. He's still my mentor."

"Well, at least Edward is there to protect you considering he's with you all the time," Alice said, looking at our schedules. Edward came over and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, Bella. You won't have to worry about anything. I'll protect you."


	7. Rush

**Hiiii!!!! See?? I'm getting better at the whole updating thing arent I??? I got inspired and then we had a double snow day because of the great blizzard over here soo I've been writing the whole timee....or at least most of todayy. lol :D i got a lot of story alerts and fav authors and stories from the last chapter soo thankkk you for thosee. it's nice to know people are reading my storyy. however, i got 4 reviews on the last chapter which is a bit disappointing. i can't say i don't deserve it because i didnt update for like 3 months but now i'm updating 4 days after my last updatee soo can we pick it up a little? can the people who story alert and author fav and story fav review at the same time too?? it doesnt take that longg. **

**OHHH!!! and i noticed from some of the reviews that i have a couple UCLA readers. you guys, if you could help me out and tell me about the greek system there or the school in general that would help a whole hell of a lot. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper and football players soo theres definitely gonna be some stuff about the rivalry going down between UCLA and USC soo i'd need info on that. Andd i really wanna do a chapter on the Undie Run and Spring Sing soo I need to know about that too. AND DORM LIFE!!! Freshman aren't allowed to live in the sorority/frat houses until their sophomore year soo the gang definitely needs to have some really funny dorm stories. also, what do UCLA students do outside UCLA? what does LA have to offer. Remember, Alice, Edward, Rosalie, and Jasper are rich kids so what do the rich kids do in LA?? finally, pleeeeaaaasseee tell me how the parties are over theree. you'll find in this chapter that i am excrutiatingly bad a writing party sceness. **

**alrighttt, i'm ramblingg. pleaaasee read and enjoyy!!!! and REVIEW!!!!

* * *

**

**Rush**

"Bella, get your ass out of bed! Today's the day!" Alice screamed into my ear. I lifted my head just enough to look at the clock next to me. It was five o'clock. _In the morning_.

"Yeah right, Alice. I get up when the sun gets up." I pulled my blanket over my head only to have it ripped off again.

"Yeah, well you're not in New Jersey anymore. Here in LA, the sun is up and running at five o'clock in the morning." Alice walked over to the curtain and threw it open. I was greeted with a blinding California sunshine.

"Damn, Alice. Doesn't California believe in daylights savings time?" I asked, shielding my eyes. I couldn't even pull my blanket back over my head. Alice was holding it hostage.

"There's a reason we're called the Golden State. Now c'mon! We have A-Phi rush today!" I slowly got out of bed and started to grab my clothes.

"Thought it was called the Golden State 'cause of the Golden Gate Bridge. Crazy pixie," I grumbled to myself.

"What was that?" Alice called cheerfully.

"Nothing. Hey, why aren't you harassing Ms. Snow Queen over there?" I asked, pointing at Rosalie. After Edward and I got back from our orientation and Alice, Rosalie, and I went back to our dorm, we started to set up Rosalie's part of the room. Since my side was a blue-green theme and Alice's was a pink theme, I was excited to see what Rosalie had in mind to complete our dorm. Turns out that everything Rosalie owned for decoration was an immaculate white. White bedding, white pillows, giant, puffy white downy blanket, a whiteboard hanging right above her desk, and everything on her desk was also white, from her super white and shiny MacBook to the white metal netted pencil holder. It hurt my eyes just to look at it and sometimes it looked as if nothing was there at all. The only thing that popped was the wood color of the desk and bed frame.

"Because she told me last night that she had plans for this morning and that she would meet us at the sorority house." Bullshit. I knew better. She definitely used that as an excuse to escape the vortex that is Alice. Damn, that was smart. I really need to pay more attention to her mind.

"Anyway," Alice continued, "I'm going down to the bathroom to check my hair one more time. I'll see you down there." She skipped out of the room. I turned towards Rosalie's bed where she slept so peacefully. So it seemed.

"I know you're listening. And I know you have no one to meet. You will burn in hell because of what you just did to me. " I said. I glared at her sleeping form until I heard a snicker. The snicker slowly turned into a laugh and she got up from her snow pile.

"I'm sorry, Bella," she said in between laughs, "The one thing you should always know about me is that if I don't get enough sleep, I become a bitch times two. Why do you think my earliest class starts at eleven AM?" Rosalie's major here was home design. She wanted to be an interior decorator, which confused me considering how she designed her room.

"Do you even know why she's waking me up this early? Rush doesn't start until noon anyway."

"She said something about pre-rush preparation. I guess she wants to perfect herself," Rosalie said, laughing.

"But she's a legacy! She already has a bid!" I yelled.

"Well, maybe Alice is neurotic," Rosalie said as she snuggled back into bed. Alice bounded back into the room.

"Bella! You were supposed to meet me in the bathroom!" I looked back at Rosalie before rolling my eyes and trudging out the door.

"Don't forget to use the strawberry shampoo! And then meet me back here!" she called after me. I attempted to take my sweet time in the shower but leave it to Alice to pull me out of the shower stark naked after I'd been in there too long.

It was a long and torturous process, full of flat irons and curling irons, Alice not sure how to do my hair, and then me standing in just a towel outside my closet as Alice tried to decide what to make me wear. The final result was me dressed in a cute one shoulder coral pink dress with a belt around the waist that hit right above my knees and a pair of wedge heels. My hair was done in beachy waves and my makeup was simply done. I love Alice for making me look like how I did.

"Alice, you're a genius!" I exclaimed giving her a hug. She hugged me back enthusiastically.

"Are you kidding Bella? I just emphasized how pretty you already are." I blushed at her comment. Rosalie walked in looking hot as ever in a strapless white dress that hit mid thigh. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back in waves and the white of her dress made her hair literally glow. She didn't even have makeup on. I now knew why she didn't have to get up early to get ready. She was already the definition of perfection.

"Bella, you look great! Alice, why aren't you ready yet? We need to head over to the house in 15 minutes and it's a 20 minute walk over."

"Chill, I'm going." She left and came back 10 minutes later dressed in a casual grey and black shirt dress. It was such a plain dress but somehow Alice could make it work. She quickly put one some eyeliner and mascara before looking at her phone.

"Oh my God, we're late! It's already 12:30! It starts at 1! And it takes 20 minutes to walk there. And we're in heels!" Alice looked so close to crying. Instead of trying to console her, I grabbed her hand and ran out the door with Rosalie right behind us.

We must've looked like maniacs, running around in short dresses and heels. We would be sweaty by the time we got there but Alice had foundation powder to cover the shiny spots and perfume for the smell. We saw a group of girls decked out in dresses going towards Sorority Row so we ran faster to catch up with them. However, me being the one-track minded person that I am, I spent too much time noticing the group of girls ahead that I didn't pay attention to the people around and ran smack dab into someone. I landed on the ground and felt my elbow scrape the pavement. Damn. I didn't need blood right now. I looked up and saw Edward staring back at me.

"Bella, I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you." He grabbed my hand a pulled me up. I could feel sweat starting to bead on my forehead and blood starting to drip down my arm. Great. My first impression on the Alpha Phis and I would be sweaty and bloody. Those girls aren't even gonna wanna come near me; much less give me a bid.

"Thanks Edward. You going to rush?" I asked. He looked great in his button down shirt and khaki pants. I took great care not to put my arm near him in fear that I would get blood on his shirt.

"Yup. ZBT rush. It starts at 1:30 so we decided to get a head start. You look great, by the way. That color looks nice on you." I blushed at his comment.

"Yeah, well you're better than us. A-Phi rush starts at 1 and we still have a 10 minute walk and its," I looked at my phone, "oh my God, it's 12:53. Sorry Edward but we need to go." Edward reached over to brush some dirt off my arm and I cringed away.

"Bella, what's wrong with your arm?" he asked, trying to look at the other side where the blood was.

"It's nothing," I said trying to leave. He grabbed my arm and turned it over and saw that large gash that was on my arm.

"Bella, you're bleeding!" he exclaimed.

"Edward, it's nothing. I can handle blood. I'm studying to be a doctor." I tried to go again but Edward hold stayed strong.

"Bella, that needs to be cleaned at looked at. I'm sure they won't mind if you come a bit late. I'll even go with you to the infirmary."

"Edward, I'm not gonna be late for my first rush," I said stubbornly. Just then Emmett and Jasper came walking up. Emmett whistled.

"Damn, Bells. Looks like California took the Jersey right out of you. You are no longer Ms. Plain-Jane Swan." His eyes zeroed in my Edward's grasp on my arm and then on the cut. He gasped. "Bella, what'd you do to yourself?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, Emmett. I did this to myself," I said, rolling my eyes.

"She just fell," Edward clarified. Emmett laughed.

"Looks like Cali didn't get all the Jersey out of you," He chuckled. Edward looked down at his shirt and ripped off a strip from the bottom.

"Edward! What're you doing?" I asked, confused. He ripped a smaller piece off and started to wipe the blood away. Then he took the first piece and tied it around my cut.

"That should keep it until the end of rush. And if they give you a bid, I'm sure they can supply you with a bandage," he said with a smile.

"Edward, that's your shirt!" I exclaimed. He laughed.

"Bella, it's just a shirt. I can buy a new one you know."

"B-but what about the brothers? Won't they get all offended by you coming to their rush looking like a homeless person?" I asked. _A very hot homeless person_, I thought.

"I'm sure they'll be flattered that I helped a poor _damsel in distress_." I laughed at the way he said that. He looked at his watch.

"Well, it's already 1 so you might want to—"

"SHIT!" Alice, Rosalie, and I exclaimed. We started running again without letting Edward finish. I'm sure he'll forgive me.

By the time we got to the house, the last few girls were getting in. We sprinted until we finally made it to the stairs. The girl holding the door open gave us a look of disgust. We walked inside the grand house and made our way to the formal room where all the girls were socializing with the sisters. A girl came up to us a smiled. I remember her being Libby Creller, UCLA Panhellenic president.

"Hey, girls. Welcome to Alpha Phi. You guys look like you had quite the time coming here," she said with a small giggle.

"Yeah, it was interesting, all right. Could we use the bathroom?" Alice asked.

"Of course. Down the hall, to the left."

"Thanks," Alice said as she took mine and Rosalie's hands and led us there. After making ourselves look more presentable and adjusting my makeshift bandage, we made our way back to the formal room.

The rest of the afternoon was spent mingling with the sisters and other rushers. I met Jane again and she took it upon herself to introduce me to every sister in the house. It turned out that she was a well-respected sister here. I also saw Briana again who was thrilled that someone from her tour group decided to rush her house. The more I talked to all the sisters, the more I fell in love with the sorority. I could seriously see myself being a part of all of this. I prayed every moment that I would get a bid.

It was getting closer to five o'clock, which was when rush was ending. The sisters had probably already made their decisions about who they wanted in their pledge class. I was starting to get anxious. I really started to get anxious when Alice and Rosalie came up to me and told me that they both received a bid. It was finally 4:45 when I started to lose hope. What was I thinking? How could I ever think a group of girls like this would want a girl like me to join their elite family? Well, I could at least hear about all the fun from Alice and Rosalie. I was just about to walk out the door when someone tapped on my shoulder.

"Bella Swan?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Here you go." She handed me a burgundy envelope. I slowly ripped it open and read the content inside.

_We, the sisters of Alpha Phi would cordially like to invite Bella Swan to join the_

_Alpha Phi Pledge Class of 2012._

I got a bid. I got a bid! I'm an Alpha Phi pledge! I ran back inside to find Alice and Rosalie. I saw them both standing near the food table looking worried. When Alice saw me she let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Bella! We were so worried! We didn't know where you were. We were hoping you didn't leave yet. It's ok, sweetie. We don't need this sorority. Rose and I decided that if all of us aren't gonna pledge then none of us are." I looked at Alice, almost moved to tears.

"You would do that for me?" I asked. Alice gave me a big hug.

"Of course. We would never leave you hanging like that. I intend to stick with my roommates for the next four years." Rosalie came and joined the hug. I pulled back and smiled at them.

"Well, we shouldn't get too comfortable in the dorms because we're moving to the Alpha house!" I screamed showing them my envelope. Alice and Rose took one look at it before starting to scream themselves.

"Oh yay! Oh my God, we were so worried. We thought you didn't get it because rush is starting to end and we didn't hear anything from you. Oh, I'm so happy!" We all started to jump at scream and the nearby sisters smiled at us knowingly. They probably reacted the same way during their freshman year.

The clock finally hit five and all the girls who didn't get bids left the house, some of them tearfully. The pledges were required to assemble back in the formal room. It was now cleaned and there was a podium in the front. Leanna Shafer, Alpha Phi president, walked up to the podium.

"First, I'd like to start by congratulating you. You are now our 2012 pledge class!" There was a loud cheer from all the pledges and the sisters. Leanna cleared her throat.

"Now pledges. I'd like you to look around. These are your pledge sisters. They are your family until you become initiated. Then we all become your family. So support each other. Trust me, you'll need it." There was a knock on the door. Leanna smiled.

"I think you girls will like this." A whole crowd of guys came in and assembled around the entrance of the formal room. I saw Edward, Emmett, and Jasper towards the side of the group with the biggest smiles on their faces. My face broke into the biggest smile. I knew they would get a bid. Edward caught my eye and winked. A group of guys came forward and started to sing.

_We are the brothers of ZBT_

_The hottest and baddest that frat boys can be_

_We'd like to invite you for a night of cheer_

_To celebrate the pledges with lots of beer  
One lucky A-Phi is chosen by we_

_To sing with a pledge of ZBT_

_We don't care if you can sing or not_

_You have to because we do this a lot_

_We've finally chosen who will do the deed_

_But first we must tell you the pledge indeed_

_The ZBT pledge is Edward Cullen_

_So who will be his lucky mullen?_

"Mullen?" asked Leanna asked, rolling her eyes. One guy stepped forward.

"Sorry, babe. Nothing else rhymed with Cullen," she said with a shrug. Leanna smiled.

"Pledges, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Drake Connors, president of Zeta Beta Tau." Drake gave a silly bow before standing up straight and clearing his throat, looking serious again.

"So who is our lucky A-Phi pledge?" he said dramatically. He pulled out an envelope and looked at the name inside. "Will Bella Swan step forward, please?" My heart stopped cold. Did I hear right? I must've. People were starting to look at me. I stole a quick glance at Emmett. He was smiling like the proudest person in the planet. Edward was just smiling. I'm sure he was glad that he didn't have to sing with a stranger. But _why me_? I officially swore off singing in front of crowds after my sophomore year in high school where I tripped while singing and knocked my head on the microphone causing me to hurt my head a cause a loud static noise. I was never able to live that down. Alice gave me a sharp nudge in the ribs. I slowly got up and walked towards Drake. He smiled.

"Well, Edward, looks like you got a pretty one. The only thing that would make this better is if she could actually sing. Three years!" he yelled, now addressing the whole room, "Three years and no one has been able to sing a good duet. Not since Leanna and myself." He winked at Leanna who blushed. "Ah, well. Let's see what you two can come up with. Leanna, you wanna explain the rules to her before I haul her away?"

"Of course. The rules are you have two hours to prep with your partner before you go on stage. You must enter the stage looking exactly as you do right now. No changing clothes, no fixing hair, and no adjusting makeup. You're not even allowed to that bandage off your arm." I looked down and saw that the blood was starting to seep through.

"That all?" Drake asked.

"That's it."

"Great.' He suddenly picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I screamed to everyone's enjoyment. He beckoned Edward to follow him. We were now walking down Sorority Row. The sun was starting to set, casting a warm glow through the trees.

"So, Bella," Drake started, "what's you're major?"

"Pre-med," I replied, huffing a little considering my stomach was pressed into his shoulder.

"No way! That's Edward's major too!"

"I know. We're friends. His sister is my roommate."

"Aw man. I'm not throwing two strangers together and making them sing in front of two houses?" From his voice, I could tell he was a bit disappointed.

"Well, not necessarily," I said, trying to console him. "I mean, we might as well be strangers. I've only known him for two days."

"Well, I guess that's better," Drake said, sounding satisfied. It was quiet for a moment before I started talking again.

"So why do you do this? I mean like why do you do this tradition?" I asked. Drake laughed.

"Well, it originally started with our founders having sing circles. They would make a bonfire at the nearby beach and just sing. They loved it. In fact, A-Phi and ZBT were famous for it back then. Now, it's trickled down to a pledge prank where we just except the pledges to make fools out of themselves because most of them can't sing anyway. I mean, c'mon. How often are you randomly gonna pick two people who can actually sing?" Drake laughed again. We were now in front on a large modernized building that stood at the fork that separated Sorority Row from Fraternity Row. Drake set me down on my feet.

"Here we are. This is the Greek Life Center. It's a recreation hall that's exclusively used for members of the Greek system. Go through the doors and go to the room on the left. You'll find a CD player. Here's the CD and the lyrics." I took both and looked at the name of the song.

"Endless Love?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah. It happens to be a favorite of mine," Drake said defensively.

"I was kinda expecting something a bit more comedic," Edward said, confused.

"Don't diss Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross. Plus, it's kind of a hard song to sing so it'll probably be _very _comedic to see how you sing it. Have you ever heard the song?"

"I heard it when they did the cover on _Glee_," I said slowly. Drake smiled.

"Good. Then you won't have any problems. Have fun." Drake left and all Edward and I could do is stare at each other. Shit.

* * *

"Ok, you two. You're on in five," Drake said, giving Edward a playful punch on the arm. Edward gave him a shaky smile before looking back at me.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Well, all I can do is pray that I don't hit my head on the microphone again," I said cringing. I told Edward the story while we were rehearsing. He laughed.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine." We suddenly heard Drake's voice.

"Welcome brothers, sisters, and pledges to our very first mixer of 2012!" There were shouts, screams, cheering, and a lot of applauding. Drake called for attention again. "As you know, we start every beginning of the year mixer with an impromptu duet by two randomly selected pledges from each of our houses. This year's theme is in correspondence to our philanthropy, American Heart Health, which means our theme is love, love, love. So give it up for this year's selected pledges, Bella Swan from A-Phi and Edward Cullen from ZBT!" There were again loud shouts and catcalls from the audience. I could hear Jessica, who was unfortunately now a pledge due to her legacy status, screaming Edward's name like a crazed teenage fan. The music started and Edward gave me one last wink before singing. **(A.N. So since this is a duet I've kind of got it organized so you know who's singing. The best advice I can give you to really feel this scene is to listen to "Endless Love" from Glee and pretend Lea Michele's voice is Bella's and Matthew Morrison's voice is Edward's. But if you don't, here's how you understand. The italicized is Edward singing. The non-italicized is Bella singing. The bold italicized is both of them singing together)**

_My love,  
There's only you in my life  
The only thing that's right_

I took a deep breath and started.My first love,  
You're every breath that I take  
You're every step I make(I-I-I-I-I)_  
I want to share  
__**All my love with you**__  
No one else will do..._And your eyes_  
Your eyes, your eyes  
__**They tell me how much you care  
Ooh yes, you will always be  
My endless love**_

And I

This was so easy. I missed singing on stage. It was one of things I love to do. And I didn't fall on the microphone yet so that was a good sign. I looked out into the audience. Everyone was watching us with rapt attention. I smiled and started again. _**Two hearts,  
Two hearts that beat as one  
Our lives have just begun**_Forever_  
(Ohhhhhh)  
__**I'll hold you close in my arms  
I can't resist your charms**_And love_  
Oh, love  
__**I'll be a fool  
For you,  
I'm sure  
**_You know I don't mind_  
Oh, you know I don't mind_'Cause you,_  
__**You mean the world to me**__  
__**Oh**__  
_I know_  
I know  
_I've found_**in you  
My endless love**__**Bum, bum  
Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum  
Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum**__**Oooh, and love  
**__Oh, love  
__**I'll be that fool  
For you,  
I'm sure**__  
_You know I don't mind_  
Oh you know  
__**I don't mind**__**And, YES  
You'll be the only one**__  
__**'Cause NO one can deny  
This love I have inside  
And I'll give it all to you**__  
My love  
_My love, my love_  
__**My endless love**_

The music stopped and we were left in a deafening silence. Suddenly, everyone got up and started to applaud. I guess it was good then. I smiled and did a little bow before walking off the stage, Edward right behind me. When I finally hopped off, I gave him a big hug.

"Oh my God, Edward! That was probably the most intense moment in my entire life! Ugh, wow! You were great, by the way. I had no idea you could sing."

"Me? Did you listen to yourself out there? You were on fire. That was amazing!" Drake jumped on stage and grabbed the microphone.

"Let's give it up for our pledges! That was fantastic! Wow, first time in three years. Finally, some talent!" Everyone applauded again. I blushed and gave a little wave.

The party finally started and I swear, it was like the college parties on TV. Beer pong, keg stands, a beer bong, and Jell-O shots. Edward and I looked around for Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. We found them near the beer bong, casually talking. When they saw us they came running over.

"Bella, I had no idea you could sing!" Alice exclaimed. Rosalie pulled me in for a hug.

"Emmett told me about the whole microphone fiasco. I'm glad that didn't happen now. You were great."

"That's my sis," Emmett said proudly.

"Don't forget Edward," I said. "He was fantastic!" Alice rolled her eyes.

"The guy plays guitar and piano and listens to music like it's religion. You've got to assume he has some kind of vocal talent in there." Edward just shrugged.

The rest of the party was spent college style. Alice, being the tiny person she is, got trashed easily and started to table dance only to be pulled down by Edward. She was pissed but was soon happily content sleeping against Jasper's shoulder. Emmett and Rosalie took turns on the beer bong and when they were wasted enough, Emmett actually did a body shot off of her, which is something I could've spent my whole life not seeing. As for Edward and I, we spent most of our time talking in a corner. I really wasn't in the party mood and he didn't seem to mind. I learned about his childhood, his music, his attempted band, and living a rich kid life. In return, I told him all about being invisible in a high school in town so monotonous that it takes certain skill to be invisible. I told him about the unwanted tension with my mother and how close me and Emmett were and through it all, he listened attentively like he was genuinely interested in what I was saying.

To end, it was a great day. My college career was off to a good start. But I couldn't help wondering a little. This whole pledging this was a bit too easy. I mean, I though pledging was supposed to be hell. But here I am, at my very first mixer, acting like I'm already a sister. There had to be more right? I mean, it can't be this good, right?

* * *

**Awwwwww did you like the songg?? seriouslyy, listen to the songg. Lea Michele is like the best singer of all time and Matthew Morrison is just fantastic!! if you don't watch Glee, you are seriously deprivedd. lol :D. **

**btw, if you are from the Mid-Atlantic i hope you enjoyed your snow day (and if you were lucky like i was then you had 2!!!) **

**alsoo, a random notee: since i had nothing to do todayy, i attempted to watch Jersey Shore. I honestly can't even imagine why people enjoy the showw. it's complete craap. Pauly D's all like "i can't go to the jersey shore without my hair gel" and The Situation is all "i'm soo hot that if i saw myself walk into the room i'd get my girlfriend the fuck out of the way" and that pinched-face midget, Snooki, is all "if you're not a guido get the fuck out of my face" wtf is a guido????? and seriously, NONE of the them are that hott. especially that Snooki girl. she annoyed the HELL out mee. she freaking got into a hot tub with a bunch of guys in just a bra and a thong!! and you could see her back fat bulging out through her bra. and what the hell is wrong with her face??? and she always whinesssssssssss. im like "bitch, shut the fuck up!!!!" i couldnt even get through the first episodee. **

**okkk, enough rantingg. pleeeaaasseee REVIEWWW!!! even if it's to defend Jersey Shore. and remember to always Love California (cuz those shores are sooo much better than Jersey's lol)**


	8. Training

_Okkk okkkk i knowww!!! i reaaly REAALLYY suckk. but you know whatt?? i had this chapter done AGES ago. my computer is just ultimately gaaay and it kept freezing everytime i attempted to go on the internet. i'll give you some advice and sayy NEVERR get a pc. Mac is the way to go. it doesnt let any virus inn. anywaayyss, please enjoy the chapterr!!_

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Training

After thanking the ZBTs for throwing such a great party, we headed back to the house. Pledges were required to sleep in the formal room as it was the only room in the house big enough to accommodate all of us. We didn't have rooms yet since we weren't official sisters. Sleeping bags were already set up side by side, all alternating in the Alpha Phi colors, silver and Bordeaux (reddish maroon), and we were given our pajamas that we were required to sleep in every night. It was a Bordeaux shirt with the Alpha Phi letters written in elegant silver and a pair of plaid red pants with silver accents in them. We were given 5 shirts and five pairs of pants so that we wouldn't be wearing used clothes every night. I didn't mind. They were cute and I loved being a part of something. After we all got dressed, Alice, Rosalie, and I grabbed three sleeping bags next to each other and started to settle in, me in the middle. The sisters told us to sleep soon because we had a long day tomorrow. It was only 10 P.M. but I wasn't going to complain. I wanted to be absolutely rested for whatever we had in store. The sisters said a final goodnight, switched off the light, and I slowly started to drift to sleep.

I slept for about two hours before I was violently awakened by the sound of a horn being blasted. I quickly shot out of my sleeping bag and saw that the other girls were also freaking out. I looked towards the door and saw Leanna standing in the doorway with a megaphone in her hand while the other girls marched into the room on either side of her until they formed a straight horizontal line in front of the door.

"Hello, ladies," she said into the megaphone. "It is currently 12:01 which is the official start of pledging. Girls, welcome to A-Phi Hell. During the course of the next few months we're gonna find out which of you has what it takes to be an A-Phi," she looked at her fellow sisters, "and which of you don't." She glared at all of us. "Last night you got a glimpse of the life of an A-Phi. Let me make this clear. Great parties and hot guys don't just come like that. "She snapped her fingers. "You want it, you _work_. Your first pledge task is the Date Dash. The Pi Betas are currently holding their annual Anyone But a Greek party. It's their pathetic attempt to try to hook up with guys who aren't in the Greek system. They initiated it about two years ago. Your job is to snag a guy from their party _only _and bring them to the Greek Center. No change in clothes, no makeup, no brushing your hair or teeth." She yelled into the megaphone. A girl with curly red hair raised her hand.

"Pledge Davis," Leanna called.

"But we're wearing our pledge shirts. Won't the Pi Betas notice us and kick us out if they find out we're A-Phi pledges?"

"That's not my problem. You need to figure that out on your own," Leanna said flatly.

"Plus, they'll be so wasted and horny they probably won't notice anything else," one girl said under her breath. Leanna glared at her and then looked at her watch.

"It is now 12:05. You have exactly thirty minutes to snag a guy. Those who don't make it in time will have five points deducted from their total pledge score which does not roll over well." We all just stared at her.

"What are you waiting for? You have 30 minutes. Let's go!" All of us immediately sprung up and sprinted towards the door.

We must've looked like a real scene, running around the row in pajamas. But all the normal sororities were already asleep so it's not like there was anyone to watch us. We all ran up to the end of the row where the Pi Beta house was located. The lights were still on and you could feel the music reverberating off the walls. A couple of bold girls attempted to sneak into the house only to be chased out a few minutes later by a Pi Beta pledge. Looks like they were the sober ones tonight. Did Pi Beta know A-Phi was doing something? One drunken girl clad in the smallest skirt I've ever seen and a bikini top came out with a red cup in her hand.

"Alpha Phi!" she cried drunkenly, "We do _not _appreciate your skank stank all up in our house. This is a classy party and we don't need you to whore it up." Look who's talking about whoring up a party. Alice and I had just witnessed two people having sex behind a bush. That was something I've never seen before. And the part about this being a "classy" party made me laugh. There were guys throwing toilet seats out the window. The girls took a few more steps out and then lost her balance. She fell into the bush nearest to her and stayed there. _Maybe this would be easy_, I thought. Wait, no, never mind. The Pi Beta pledges were still on guard and they were completely sober, much to their dismay. Rosalie looked at her watch.

"You guys, we only have twenty minutes and it takes a decent ten to get a guy to come away with you. We need to work. _Now_." We looked around. Some girls had snuck in through the back and were able to take a guy with them, but it was a close call. Pi Beta pledges were chasing them at their heels. We couldn't deal with that. Especially since half the guys in there were probably trashed.

Rosalie suddenly smiled, an idea completely prominent on her face. She quickly took of her shirt and turned it inside out, completely hiding the A-Phi letters. She lifted her shirt to right below her breasts and tied it tight there, her whole stomach bare. She found a pointy rock and made a large slit from her neckline down to the top of her breasts and folded the cloth in, revealing ample amounts of cleavage. Alice and I stared at her.

"Um, Rose? What are you doing?" Alice asked hesitantly. Rosalie gave us a mischievous smile.

"Just watch." She bent down and started to roll her pants up until they were short enough to be considered booty shorts. Finally, she piled her hair on top of her head and tied it in a sexy messy bun. She turned to us.

"How do I look?" The rest of the pledges were now looking at Rosalie along with Alice and I. Alice was the first to speak.

"Like a whore! You look like a freakin' slut! What the hell is wrong with you?" Alice exclaimed. Rosalie gave us a knowing look before it dawned on me.

"Oh! Rose, you're a genius!" I said, giving her a hug. Alice looked completely shell-shocked.

"Explain?" she said expectantly. I laughed and started to flip my own shirt inside out. I tied it firmly around my stomach, revealing a decent amount of stomach. I wasn't as bold as Rosalie.

"The best way to not be noticed is to fit in. Rosalie covered the A-Phi letters and then made herself look like the rest of the Pi Betas. No one's even gonna look twice at her. Well, maybe the guys will, but not the sisters or the pledges. The sisters are so wasted they'll probably think she's one of them. And the pledges probably don't know all of the sisters yet. They'll think Rosalie's one of them. It's perfect. She can just walk in and walk out without a problem!" I just finished rolling my pants to such a height that it was enough to make Emmett bust a vein. I laughed thinking of his face. _I wonder what Edward would think? _Whoa, where'd that come from? Alice laughed, finally getting it.

"That's so smart!" She turned to the pledges. "Let's really whore this party up." The rest of the girls proceeded to make their shirt tighter, their pants shorter, and their general appearance a lot sexier. Jessica even went so far as to show the top of her thong on the back of her pants. I rolled my eyes. Why is she not in Pi Beta? She would've been worshipped there. Rosalie, Alice, and I were the first to test out our new idea. We knocked on the door and a topless girl opened the door. I resisted the urge to freak out and cover my eyes. I'm pretty sure my eyes must've widened too. Rosalie looked taken by surprise but she played it cool. She cleared her throat and started talking in the sexiest sleepy voice I've ever heard.

"Hey. We're from Gamma Phi and our bathroom is broken. You were the only house that was awake. Could we possibly use yours?" The girl looked at us and shrugged.

"Whatever." She walked away. She didn't even notice we were wearing the same thing. We entered the house and were greeted with hell.

The place trashed. Literally. There were cups, shoes, plates, _condoms_, food, and _people_ scattered all over the floor. There were still a lot more people up and about, lightly stepping over the mess on the floor. Rosalie had her mission face on.

"Ok, we have thirteen minutes. It's a little steep but we're all hot. I think we can do it." Who was she kidding? _I _wasn't as hot as Alice and Rosalie. It would take me the full thirteen minutes just to get a guy to look at me. We all separated and I was left alone in this Pi Beta hell hole. Two minutes passed. I was wasting time. Rosalie had already snagged a guy. Figures. She could just stand and guys would go anywhere with her. Four minutes passed. Alice snagged a guy. She told me she would wait outside in the back. I was wasting time. I only had nine minutes left and no guy has even looked at me.

It was hard. All the guys were dancing with Pi Beta girls. I couldn't steal them away like that. 3 minutes had passed and I started to lose hope I had only six minutes left and it was a five minute run to the Greek Center. I was about to give up and leave when I suddenly spotted a guy sitting in a corner alone. He was quite the hottie. He looked tall, had light brown hair, a muscular build, and looked bored, which I took as a good sign. I walked to him.

"Hey," I said almost confidently. He looked up and almost rolled his eyes. That was definitely a hit.

"Hi. Look, I'm sorry, but I think I've had enough Pi Betas for the night." He thought I was a Pi Beta. I suddenly remembered how I was dressed and smiled. I laughed.

"Yeah, well, lucky for you, I'm an A-Phi." He looked up, surprised.

"Um, no offense, but A-Phis don't necessarily dress like whores."

"Yeah, and I'd like to explain everything right now but I kinda need to ask you a favor."

"What?"

"I need a date." He quirked an eyebrow.

"If I come, do you promise to explain?" he asked. I looked at my watch. Three minutes. Shit.

"I promise. We have three minutes. Let's go!" We sprinted out the back door and started towards the Greek Center. Two minutes. I was never gonna make it! I was fast but not _that _fast. The boy started to notice my lagging and swiftly picked me up and started to sprint at an inhumane rate. We made it to the Greek Center with 30 seconds to spare and using fifteen of those seconds, I made myself look more presentable. I heard the boy cough when I took my shirt off to flip it the right way. We burst into the diner located in the Greek Center just as the minute hand hit the 7 on the clock. Alice and Rosalie let out a sigh of relief and Leanna smiled.

"You've just made it, Pledge Swan. Have a seat." I sat in the seat next to Alice and the boy sat down next to me. Alice and Rosalie immediately turned to me.

"Bella, we're so sorry we didn't wait for you! We were but then a couple of Pi Beta pledges came out and saw what we were trying to do and started to chase us and we needed to run. We were so worried you wouldn't get here on time." Alice's face was pouty, and adorable, and impossible to be mad at. I smiled.

"It's fine Alice. I'm here. Speaking of which, did everyone make it?" Alice rolled her eyes.

"Everyone except Jessica. She gonna suffer some major point loss considering I don't even think she's gonna come." I rolled my eyes, too. She was probably still partying it up with the Pi Betas. Rosalie coughed.

"So, Bella. Who's your guy?" I looked at the boy and immediately became embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't exactly catch your name in my mad rush to get here." The boy smiled.

"No worries. It's Jason. Jason Carey. And you're Bella Swan?" I looked surprised.

"How'd you know?"

"Well, one of the girls called you pledge Swan and this girl right here called you Bella. Just put two and two together." I laughed, looking embarrassed again.

"So Jason, what's your major?" asked Alice.

"Literature."

"No shit! You wanna be a writer?" Rosalie asked.

"I guess. I love reading and I'm already starting to write a few things." Alice nudged me in the ribs.

"That's so funny 'cause Bella loves reading!" Alice said happily. I felt my face go cold. What were they trying to do?

"Really? You like to read a lot?" Jason asked.

"Oh, yeah. You should see her side of our dorm. There're books _everywhere_." Oh, my, God, they seriously needed to stop. Jason looked at me.

"What's your major, Bella?"

"Biology. I'm on the pre-med track."

"Oh, so you wanna be a doctor?"

"It's been my dream since I can remember." There was an awkward silence and I tried to eat the food in front of me. I decided to try striking up conversation again.

"So how are you such a fast runner?" I turned to Alice and Rosalie. "You should've seen this guy. He was the reason we got here on time. He picked me up and started to run and I literally felt like I was flying."

"Yeah, well I guess being on the track team helps."

"You're on the track team? Is it intense?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Eight miles every day isn't so bad once you get used to it. It's my second year too so I'm really used to it."

"You're a sophomore?" Alice asked.

"Yeah."

"That's cool."

The rest of the midnight meal was spent in semi-awkward silence. Jason was cool but I couldn't talk to him without Alice and Rosalie dropping hints about me. Jason talked to Alice and Rosalie's guys while Alice, Rosalie, and I talked amongst ourselves.

"What do you think you're doing?" I said through my teeth.

"Bella, will you look at him? He's gorgeous! Why can't you ask him out?"

"Because I've known him for twenty minutes."

"So? The point of dating is so you can get to know other people. You act as if you've never done it before." Rosalie said. Alice started shaking her head at Rosalie before she finally got it.

"Bella, you've never been on a date before?! What did you do in high school? Hide under a rock?" she exclaimed.

"Well I'm sorry Jersey boys are the epitome of the word 'douche'," I seethed. Leanna suddenly got up and clapped her hands.

"I'd just like to congratulate the pledges on succeeding in their first pledge task. All of you made it except for one. That one will have some serious consequences if we see her again seeing as she is not here yet. You all may head back to the house and get back to bed. Boys, I would just like to thank you for putting up with our scruples. But then again, you must've been having a lousy time anyway. I mean, come on. It was a Pi Beta party. Goodnight to you all!" The pledges got up with our guys and headed out the door. Alice gave me a knowing glance and flicked her eyes towards Jason before ditching her guy and walking back to the house. Rosalie gave a wink and ditched her own guy and followed Alice. The two guys look completely dumbstruck and then angry. They obviously thought they were getting laid tonight. I turned towards Jason and smiled.

"So, thanks again for coming. I know it was kind of silly but I'm a pledge and I can't really complain," I said with a chuckle. He smiled.

"It was no big. I actually had fun. And…I like you." I could feel my face heat up and was glad it was dark out.

"Well, you're not so bad yourself," I said coyly.

"And maybe, if it's ok with you, you could give me your number and we can actually get to know each other better at a more decent hour and at a nicer place." My head snapped up. Was he actually asking me out? I was now extremely grateful for the dark. He got out his phone and looked at me expectantly.

"555-0121," I said. He typed it in and called me so that I would have his number. I didn't have my phone with me so I made a mental note to save it when I got back to the house. Jason gave me one last smile.

"I'll call you tomorrow. Or today, actually," he said.

"Sure thing. Goodnight, Jason."

"Night, Bella."

* * *

As much as I wanted to tell Alice and Rosalie what had happened, I was way too tired and crashed the minute I hit my sleeping bag. It was 1:30 in the morning. I had a nice five hours of sleep before I was awakened again by the sound of the megaphone. I was ready to throw that thing into the ocean. Opened my eyes and saw Leanna and all the other sisters standing in the same position they were in earlier.

"Good morning, pledges!" Leanna sang into the megaphone. She was greeted with a collective groan from all of us. The sisters laughed.

"Now, now. There's no reason to be moody. The sun is up and shining and it's a beautiful day outside." One sister walked over to the window and threw open the curtain. I was blinded for the second time in two days by the bright California sunshine. Why the hell was the sun always so bright?

"You have twenty minutes to get ready and meet us in the sitting room. The bathrooms have enough showers and sinks for all of you. Each shower has a bag with your name on it. Use that shower and then wear the clothes inside that bag. Let's go. Come on." All of us got out of our sleeping bags and dragged ourselves to the bathrooms. I quickly brushed my teeth and then scanned the showers fir a bag with my name on it. I found it somewhere in the middle. It was a Bordeaux sling bag with my last name printed in silver bold letters. I jumped into the shower and quickly scrubbed my body and washed my hair. I walked out, grabbed the bag, and went to one of the changing rooms in the bathroom. I put on my underwear and then finally opened the bag to look inside.

Inside the bag was a pair of black athletic shorts and a Bordeaux t-shirt with the A-Phi letters printed in silver on the front and my last name printed in silver on the back. I wondered what we were gonna do wearing these. I slipped them on, quickly blow-dried my hair, and walked to the sitting room. Most of the pledges were already there, dressed in the same attire as me with their own last names on the backs of their shirts. I spotted Alice and Rosalie and went to go stand by them. Once the last few pledges showed up, Leanna began to talk.

"Ok, pledges! First, I just wanna say that this is the only week you will be staying in the A-Phi house before you get initiated. After this week, you will return to your respective dorms and stay there for the rest of the year. Sisters don't typically live in the house until their sophomore year. So you'll be happy to know that this is the only week we'll come and harass you in the middle of the night." There was a cheer from the pledges. Leanna clapped her hands to get our attention again. "What we would like you to do now is to go back to your dorms, wear your sneakers, and meet us at the track and field in a half an hour. Get moving."

There was some confusion as to what we were gonna do in sneakers but we went anyway. I hoped all of us were smart enough to pack sneakers. I liked exercising so I brought two pairs. The only shoes Alice, Rosalie, and I had right now were the high heels we wore yesterday so we put those on and tried to walk across campus to our dorms at a decent speed. After getting to our dorm and putting on our sneakers, we decided to jog to the track and field. When we got there we noticed that the ZBTs were already on the field doing synchronized pushups. They looked like an army troop. The first thing Leanna told us to do when she saw us was to stretch. _Oh great. _I had a pretty good idea now of what we were doing. Athletic clothes, stretching, a track and field; we were gonna do a lot of physical activity. I felt like I was back in high school in gym class. Alice, Rosalie, and I stretched until all the girls finally showed up. The last few girls were given five minutes to quickly stretch. When we were all limbered up, we waited for instructions. Leanna came bounding into our view.

"Ok, ladies! We are now at UCLA's track and field. This is where students come in their free time to do some running outside or some light training on the field. Generally, a lot of self-imposed pre-season training occurs here. You'll find people from UCLA's boys' and girls' soccer team dribbling a ball around and getting ready for the season to start, football players tossing around a ball or running a few plays, or you'll just find students running on the track and getting their daily dose of exercise. However, today, A-Phi and ZBT have reserved this area today specifically for the pledges.

"Bet you're wondering why you're here. Well, we're not gonna play any sports but we _are _gonna do some training. During the course of this week, we are gonna train you in the qualities that make up the characteristics of an A-Phi, starting from least important to most important. Today is the start of our journey up the ladder. We are going to start with the least important part of being an A-Phi. You'll notice, looking at all of us, that part of being an A-Phi is looking good. Now by saying this is the least important part, I'm not saying that it's not important. It is. However, there are more important parts to being an A-Phi. Anyway, we have a reputation for being the hottest sorority on campus. One thing we always keep in shape is our bodies." All the sisters lifted up their shirts to reveal their bare mid-drifts. They all had tan, perfectly toned stomachs and beautifully shaped figures.

"Damn!" the ZBT boys called out. There were a few catcalls and whistles on their part. A few girls blushed and they all lowered their shirts. Leanna winked at Drake and he made a show of clutching his heart and falling over. Leanna turned back to us.

"See what I mean? We're _accustomed _to getting that kind of reaction. That's the kind of reputation we have. So now it's up to us to whip you pledges into shape. To start, you're all gonna run one mile. That's about two times around this track." We all let out a groan. It was eight o'clock in the morning, already seventy degrees out, and she wanted up to run a _mile_? I slowly got to my feet and started to rotate my ankles, preparing.

Suddenly, as we were getting to start, we saw Jessica stumble into the field dressed in the same ripped-to-look-slutty clothes she was wearing yesterday. She looked like hell, with her hair looking like a haystack and the dark circles under her eyes. She probably partied with the Pi Betas all night and was suffering a major hangover right now. I could see Leanna roll her eyes as she saw Jessica looking completely disoriented and trying to find her way over to our group. The ZBTs were stopped mid-pushup to watch the spectacle that was unfolding in front of us.

"Pledge Stanley!" Leanna called. Jessica's head snapped towards Leanna and she started to do this weird half run, half limp thing towards our group. We girls resisted the strong urge to laugh. I couldn't say the same for the guys. You could hear the low rumble of chuckling from their group. I looked over and saw Emmett in mid-pushup, his arms trembling. His arms _never _trembled during pushups. He must've been trying really hard not to laugh. Jessica finally made it to Leanna and tried to smile.

"Hey, Leanna. What's up?" she asked. Her voice was still a little slurred.

"It's President Shafer to you. Do you care to tell us where you were last night?" Jessica tried to play dumb.

"I don't know what you mean."

"We sent you out on a pledge task. You were supposed to bring a date from the Pi Beta party to out midnight dinner. We saw you leave with the group. We never saw you come back." Leanna's face was flaming but Jess didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, um, well I went to the party and I met a guy there and he gave me a drink, and then another one…and then another one. I kinda don't remember what happened after that."

"You partied with the Pi Betas?!" Leanna was really flaming now. When it came to Leanna and her house, _no one _messed with house loyalty.

"Well, um, I don't know, I…" She turned back to look at the other sisters for help and Leanna gasped. On the back of Jessica's shirt, written in black Sharpie, was _Alpha Phi sucks ASS! _The Pi Beta letters were written at the bottom.

"What? What!" Jessica frantically started looking for what everyone was staring at. She finally saw black marker on her shirt and probably understood something bad was written there. Leanna's face turned to stone.

"Katie!" She called. A pretty blonde came running over. "Katie, you're gonna take Pledge Stanley back to the house to get cleaned up and dressed in appropriate attire." She turned to Jessica. "Listen to me. This is a serious offense in the Book of Sorority Affairs. You should be dismissed from this pledge class because of your actions. But _because _you're a legacy, I am obligated to keep you on until the end of pledging and hope you do something to redeem yourself. This action and any of its sort is never to be repeated again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, President Shafer," Jessica mumbled.

"Good. Katie, you can take her now." Katie took Jess's arm and started to guide her toward the house.

"Oh! One more thing." Katie and Jessica stopped. "Since you were so considerate to arrive late to our first pledge training, you will be equally as considerate by leaving later than the other girls. And for your inadequate behavior last night, you will run one extra mile. That's four times around this track. Katie will supervise you." The look on Jessica's face was a priceless look of horror. She was so close to tears. Katie slowly led her away with a smug but disappointed look on her face. Leanna turned back to us.

"Ok, pledges. Your fellow pledge will be with you shortly. Let's get started. On your mark, get set, go!" We all took off down the track. Some of the girls who were trying to impress the sisters with their endurance were running at a full sprint. Alice, Rosalie, and I decided to take the smarter route and started at a slow jog. I didn't want to get all biological, but it didn't matter how much endurance you had. The more you exerted, the more oxygen you lost. The more oxygen you lost, the more lactic acid your muscles would secrete. And the more lactic acid your muscles secreted, the more you would feel it in the morning. We finished our first lap before we got into the rhythm of things. I finally found it acceptable to talk.

"So, Jason asked me out," I mentioned casually. Alice and Rosalie immediately stopped running.

"Shut up! What did he say? Tell me _exactly _what he said!" Alice exclaimed.

"Alice, chill! I just gave him my number."

"He did not say 'I just gave him my number'," Alice said patronizingly. I rolled my eyes and took the lower tone of a guy's voice.

"'I actually had fun. And I like you. And maybe you can give me your number and we can actually get to know each other at a decent hour and a nicer place.'" Alice squealed.

"Ohmygosh, Bella! You _have _to let me get you all dolled up. Wait! When's the date? Where? OH MY GOD we need to get you a dress! Bella, why didn't you tell me sooner? We have so much to do!"

"Um, Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"I haven't called him yet. In case you haven't noticed, I've been kinda busy." Alice paused for a minute before she realized.

"Ohhhhhhh," she said realizing.

"Good job, Alice."

"Pledges! We did not tell you to stop. Keep it moving!" Leanna called from the start of the track. Alice, Rosalie, and I started to run again.

"So, you like him?" Rosalie asked.

"I'm not sure. I've never dated before so I'm kinda just rolling with what I know here. I think he's a nice guy. I'll let you know what I think after the date." Rosalie stopped again causing Alice and I to stop with her.

"Wait, what do you mean you've never dated before?" Rosalie asked incredulously. I rolled my eyes.

"Do I really need to go through this again? Yes, I never dated. I'm sorry. I guess I'm not that dateable?" Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"You're seriously gonna pull that?" she asked.

"Pull what?" I asked, seriously confused.

"That whole 'I'm trying to be modest by saying I'm not pretty when I actually know I'm hot'."

"Rose, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bella, you're gorgeous! What the hell kind of state is Jersey? If you went to my school I'm pretty sure you and I would've been good friends." I blushed. I wasn't ugly, I could say that much about myself, but I most definitely wasn't pretty enough to be friends with a goddess like Rosalie.

"Rose, if I were that pretty then I might've actually had a date to any one of my homecoming dances. Instead, I got to bake cookies and watch Emmett leave with a whore. Then I had the pleasure of watching him come home 15 minutes later and leave with _another _whore." Emmett wasn't a womanizer by any means. But if he didn't like a girl, or couldn't make up his mind about _which _girl, he made damn sure he got a little of everything.

"Bella, I'm kinda finding is hard to believe guys weren't at least attracted to you," Rosalie stated.

"Yeah, well they weren't."

"But—"

"Ladies! Pledges Swan, Hale, and Cullen! Come here!" Leanna yelled. I could definitely sense fear in all of our eyes as we made our way to Leanna. I looked to the field and saw Emmett, Jasper, and Edward looking at us. Edward gave me a worried look before he went back to doing his pushups. We got to Leanna and stood in front of her. We kept our eyes on the ground.

"Girls, I get that you guys are friends and that you need to talk. But when we ask you to do something we expect you to do it without interruption. You disrupt the sorority charter if you don't. What could've been so important that you would put that at risk?" Leanna asked. Alice, being Alice, felt the need to answer.

"Bella got her first date!" Alice blurted out. I could tell Leanna was trying to maintain her strict demeanor but she was a girl and a girl, especially a sorority girl, could never keep away from possibly good gossip.

"With who?" she asked hesitantly.

"Jason Carey," I responded.

"Shut up!" one of the girls yelled. Leanna looked pleased.

"Well, at least I know now you have the A-Phi eye for guys. Just let him know he has to pick you up at the house, not your dorm."

"Um, ok," I said with a smile.

"And keep running. No stopping this time!" she yelled as we started running again. We quickly finished our last lap and met at the start of the track. Leanna smiled a triumphant smile.

"You girls tired?" she asked delightedly. A couple girls raised their hands, some shook their heads nonchalantly, and some were just too tired to move.

"Good. You'll thank us someday. You'll be able to outrun any stalker. Trust me, we've used these skills before, trivial as they may be." We all looked shell-shocked. That was definitely something we did _not _want to hear after just running a mile. Leanna laughed and checked something off on her clipboard.

"Alright girls. Let's move on."

* * *

_WHO is Mr. Jason Carey.....??? ;) you'll find out. i PROMISEEEE. you know my favorite wordd. REVIEWWW!!! and remember to always Love California_


	9. Surprise

**Ok, ok. How long has it been? 2 months? You're kidding. Alright, I know you guys probably don't want an explanation but I feel like I need to give you one anyways. Life, specifically school, is a bitch. My grades sucked, my parents bitched at me, and now I have a state bio exam, a test for college credits, and finals coming up. So you could see how I'm kinda busy. Also, take my advice. If you are ever planning on buying a laptop, DON'T BUY AN HP TABLET! It's shit, believe me. Less than a year and it decided to crash. For a couple of months it was freezing and being gay and I ignored it until it started deleting my homework. I now have a MacBook Pro which I believe is the ONLY way to go. I'm in love. Once I got my MacBook, I had to wait for my Microsoft for Mac to come in the mail, which was the only way I'd be able to type this all up and put it up here. Now everything's good again!**

**You guys are in for a surprise. Enjoy!

* * *

**

**Surprise**

"I want to kill myself!" Alice shouted dramatically as we entered our dorm. Apparently, running a mile wasn't enough. That had to be immediately followed by crunches, sit-ups (which are two separate things, in case you didn't know. I didn't), lunges, squats, oh those damn squats, pushups, and finally finished off with a crab-walk around the perimeter of the field with a rousing chorus of "My Life Would Suck Without You" by Kelly Clarkson. The crab-walk was supposed to strengthen our arms. The singing was supposed to strengthen our lungs. This would apparently lead us to be fantastic kissers. I didn't really care to ask questions.

"Alice, do you really have the energy to do that?" I asked, hauling myself on my bed. Alice was silent for a minute before groaning.

"I guess not. One of you wanna do it for me?" she asked.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll gladly," Rosalie growled, her head in a pillow. We were given the rest of the day off and all I wanted to do was shower and then crawl into my bed and sleep for the rest of the day. One thing I _didn't _want to do was deal with Alice's random chatter. I could get where Rosalie was coming from.

"You guys, I know you're sacked but we can't stay here for the rest of the day. It's a beautiful, California day outside and I wanna enjoy it."

"I spent my whole life experiencing beautiful California days. There not all that great," Alice mumbled.

"I'm from Texas. Everyday looks like this, if not sunnier," Rosalie said from her side. I got up off my bed.

"Well, I'm from Jersey and I moved all the way out here to experience days like this so we are getting out asses out of bed, we are grabbing the guys, and we are going out. C'mon, you guys. It's out last week before classes start. Let's make the most out of it." They both gave me seething glares before they reluctantly got out of bed and started to find clothes to change into. We all quickly showered and got dressed before heading out the door. But not before…

"Bella, today I'll be nice but sometime this week when I can feel my arms we are definitely going to the mall."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I asked, looking down at my outfit. It was a red tank top with the black sleevless cardigan thing I wore at the Greek tour thing and a pair of denim shorts and black flip-flops. I actually thought I looked kinda nice

"Well, today it's actually kinda cute. I'm just saying for next time. Because I'm telling you Bella, if I ever catch you wearing just a t-shirt, I swear to God, I will—"

"Point taken, Alice. Ok, we can go to the mall. But I can't buy much."

"Why not?"

"Because not all of us live in Beverly Hills. I can't afford much."

"Bella, you're so funny sometimes, you know? I'll pay for you."

"And I think you're hilarious for thinking you're gonna pay for me," I said sarcastically. Alice rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, Bella. We're friends now. I think I can buy you clothes."

"I don't know what kind of friends you have but I'm the different kind."

"Ok. How about I make it a birthday present?" she offered.

"My birthday's in April."

"Dammit!" she exclaimed. I laughed and we walked out the door and started to make our way to the traud. It was flooded with people making their first college friends. We decided we would meet our dorm-mates later and opted for checking out other campus events with the guys.

We made our way down the hill and to the guys dorm. Inside there were already people, more specifically guys, in the halls socializing in the lounge and taking advantage of all the amenities. A few guys started to whistle and catcall at us. Or actually, more of it was steered towards Rosalie because there were a lot of comments of "Blondie" and "Barbie" and one particularly exciting "Come be my Goldilocks. I'll make you feel just right". I was impressed with Rosalie, though. She carried herself very confidently and effectively ignored the comments and marched upstairs. When she saw the look of awe on my face, she shrugged.

"You learn how to handle it," she said. We walked to the guys' room and knocked on the door. When no one answered, we knocked again. Still no one answered.

"What are they doing?" Rosalie asked.

"Do you think they're ok?" Alice asked. I suddenly remembered I had Emmett's extra key-card in my wallet and took it out. I slid it into the reader and when the light turned green I turned the knob and went in.

All three guys were passed out on their beds with ice packs in various places on their bodies. Looks like they had just about as hellish a day as we did. But if we got up, I'm pretty sure they could too. I snuck over to Emmett's bed and kneeled down next to his head. I leaned next to his ear and put on my creepiest voice.

"Mr. Frivels is watching you," I sang hauntingly. Emmett immediately jumped out of bed.

"Where? WHERE?" he ran to his drawer and pulled a bat out and started to swing it. Fortunately he didn't hit me because I was dying laughing on the floor. He saw me laughing and threw his bat down.

"Dammit, Bella! You can't do that! You _know _how much that freaks me out!" He looked around and went white when he saw Rosalie laughing hysterically. He turned to me with the most deathly glare on his face.

"I don't know if you'd like to visit the pool again, but in case you do, I can arrange that," he said through his teeth. I automatically stopped laughing. "That's more like it." Because of all our noise, the other two boys started to wake up.

"Why are you all talking so loud?" Edward asked, a little irritated. I smiled and bounced on his bed. He groaned.

"Up and at 'em! We're gonna hang out." I could see Alice on Jasper's bed, bouncing like an over-powered pixie. Jasper had his pillow over his head. I frowned and got back up. "Look, I know you guys are sore and tired. FYI, we are too. But I'm not gonna waste probably the only free day we're gonna have this week before classes. I'm gonna wager that starting tomorrow, or tonight, it's gonna be 24/7 Greek stuff. So let's go! Me, Alice, and Rosalie are gonna wait downstairs. You have twenty minutes. If you're not down by then, I'm gonna be forced to unleash Alice unto you." Alice smiled devilishly. The guys groaned in response and we left.

We walked downstairs and went to the coffee kiosk that was nearby. There were chairs and tables in that area so Rosalie and Alice bought their coffee and we went to go sit down. Seeing as I was a coffee-hater, I selected a bottle of water.

"So, Bella," Alice started as we were basking in the sun. "When are you gonna see Mr. Jason Carey again?" I rolled my eyes.

"I don't know, Alice. Whenever he calls, I guess."

"It's too bad we couldn't see what he totally looked like. Who wears a hat in the middle of the night?"

"You guys said he was gorgeous!" I said.

"Yeah, I _looked _gorgeous. I wanna know if he actually is gorgeous."

"Maybe he's waiting for you to call him," Alice suggested.

"Ugh, that's so annoying! He's _that _kind of guy?" I asked.

"Bella, seriously, it's your first date _ever_. I don't think you have much to work—"

"Oh. My. God," Alice interrupted. Her eyes were wide. Scary wide.

"What is it, Alice?" I asked, instantly worried.

"M-m-m…." she started to whisper, stuttering.

"Alice, sweetie, you're gonna have to use words," Rosalie said. She whispered something incoherent again.

"What?" I asked.

"Michael Carey!" she yelled. Rosalie and I instantly turned to the direction she was looking at, and sure enough, Michael Carey was walking in our direction.

Michael Carey was every girl's dream. He was an actor/singer. He's relatively new, but in the two years he's been famous, he was in every major teen movie to come out, he was on every magazine cover, and he was already named "Sexiest Man of the Year" last year. Back in my high school, he was an icon in my grade because he was around our age. He sang, he played guitar, and he literally was the sexiest man alive. He's like the Zac Efron of our time. Zac Efron was back in 2005. This was 2012. I remember reading somewhere in a magazine while grocery shopping with my mom that Michael was planning on attending college like a normal person last year while still pursuing his career. I just didn't know that _this _was the college he was going to.

"Oh my God," Rosalie and I repeated. He was just about to walk past our table when he suddenly stopped and looked at me.

"Bella?" _What_?

"You, um, you know me?" I asked, completely stricken.

"Yeah. We met yesterday." I thought for a moment before I realized. The hat. I couldn't see his face. _Carey_.

"Jason?" I asked, flabbergasted. He chuckled.

"Yeah. Guess you didn't recognize me."

"You were wearing a hat yesterday! I couldn't see half your face!"

"Well, I try not to draw too much attention to myself at Pi Beta parties. They try too hard. But half the time they're so wasted they don't even notice. The hat is just a precautionary thing."

"But how come you told me your name was Jason?" I asked, a little insulted that he lied to me.

"It is. My middle name is Michael. I use that for the public. Plus, if I told you my name was Michael last night, you would've realized who I was and would've agreed to go out with me just because I was famous. Now I know you liked Jason, not Michael." Alice looked starstruck the whole time. Rosalie just shook her head in complete amazement.

"Her first date and it's with a superstar," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Jason asked.

"Nothing. Just saying that you look a lot more handsome in person," she said with a sweet smile that Jason returned.

"So speaking of which, when are we gonna have this date?"

"I, well, I, um, was waiting for you to call me," I said almost shamefully. Why? I really don't know. He laughed.

"Well, I was actually planning on calling you tonight. But, you know what? My next class isn't until 1. We have about four hours. Why don't we have an informal date right now? You busy?" As much as I wanted to go, and I _really _wanted to go, I had plans with the guys. I couldn't leave them.

"Well actually, I—"

"She's not busy at all. We were just gonna walk around the campus. Do like freshman things, you know?" Alice said. I gave her a look. She shot one back saying "Just go!" I looked back at Jason.

"Yeah. I'm free." Jason had a smile grow on his face.

"Cool. I have a great place I want to show you." He took my hand and led me towards the student parking lot. I gave Alice and Rosalie one last look. They both smiled and waved and mouthed "Good luck."

_EPOV_

So being woken up after a long and hard morning of grueling exercises wasn't exactly the highlight of my day. Being woken up by Bella and knowing I got to spend the whole day with her was. I know the whole point of being friends with her was so that I could finally have a female friend that I didn't end up screwing. But why is it that when the opportunity finally presented itself, she had to go be all hot and amazing?

Bella was beautiful. She had flowing brown hair, a slender frame, and chocolate brown eyes that seemed to hypnotize you every time you looked into them. Not only that, but she was smart, straightforward, and took no bullshit from anyone. She was strong. She was able to ignore her mother's sharp jibes and do what she wanted to do. I respected her so much more every day that I knew her. And it had only been four.

I liked Bella. I couldn't help it. I was a guy. It had to have happen. Emmett told me all about how Bella wasn't popular in her high school and how none of the guys really ever took much interest in her. I say bullshit. They were probably too intimidated by her to ask her out. It was too impossible for her to go unnoticed. Well, unless she underwent some major transformation during the summer.

"Edward, man, c'mon! We have like five more minutes before Alice goes all cavewoman on us," Emmett called, walking out the door, Jasper right behind him. I grabbed my sunglasses, put them on top of my head, and quickly followed them. We walked out and saw Alice and Rosalie sitting there, talking very intensely about something. _But where was Bella_?

"Hey guys," Jasper said as we approached them. He pulled a chair from another table and sat next to Alice. Emmett did the same with Rosalie. I remained standing and looked at the girls.

"Where's Bella?" I asked. They both looked at each other and smiled.

"You'll never believe what happened," Rosalie said excitedly.

"What happened?" Emmett asked.

"Well, last night we had a pledge task at midnight. We needed to crash a Pi Beta party and grab a guy and go to the Greek Center all in fifteen minutes. Well, Bella was the last one to show up with some guy she grabbed from the party. They really hit it off and he asked her out." I could feel my heart drop inch by inch. I did _not _like where this was going.

"And?" I asked impatiently.

"That's not even the best part. While we were sitting here waiting for you guys, we saw Michael Carey walking towards us!" Alice said excitedly.

"The singer?" Jasper asked the same time I asked, "The actor?" Alice nodded.

"Yup. And it turns out that the guy who asked Bella out last night was Michael Carey!" Alice squealed.

"How did she not know it was Michael Carey last night?" Jasper asked.

"He was wearing a hat so we really couldn't see his face so well. We were so surprised when he knew Bella's name," Rosalie clarified.

"So where is she _now_?" I asked, getting more impatient.

"Oh, he just came and took her on an impromptu date. They left like five or ten minutes ago," Alice said. My heart officially dropped into my stomach. Bella was on a date? That was it? She actually _wanted _to stick to all that let's-be-friends crap? I couldn't even find it in me to be even a little bit happy for her. Emmett was the opposite.

"My sister finally got a date? About freakin' time! Who would've thought that little Bella Swan from New Jersey's first date _ever _would be with a movie star? Just imagine if they actually become boyfriend and girlfriend. It'll be all over the magazines. And every guy in our high school who never gave her the time of day will feel sorry that they never tapped that," Emmett gushed. We all just looked at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Do you listen to yourself when you talk?" Jasper asked.

"Dude, that's your sister," I said, a little disgusted. Emmett thought for a moment before he realized what he said.

"We're gonna pretend that I never said that, ok?" he said.

"I second that," Alice said. We all just sat there for a moment.

"So what do we do now, now that Bella's gone?" I asked.

"We do what we planned to do. Just because Bella isn't here doesn't mean we need to stop our lives. I'm sure she'll hate if we just sit here and wait around for her. She'll feel bad that she stopped us and she won't be able to enjoy the after effects of her date. Anyways, she'll be back by 12:30 at the most because he has a class at one. Shall we go?" Rosalie asked. Everyone got up and started walking towards the main part of the campus. I lagged behind. I looked at my watch. It was 9:30. Three whole hours I would have to endure. This is what it was like to feel jealous? I didn't like it.

_BPOV_

"So where're we going?" I asked. We were now cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway in Jason's sleek black Audi R8. He smiled.

"You'll see. I promise I'm not gonna kill you," I laughed at his statement.

"So, Bella, tell me about yourself," he said casually. I looked at him, my hair coming in the way of my face due to the open window.

"Depends. What do you want to know?" I asked. He looked thoughtful before coming up with something.

"Ok. Let's start with where are you from. I'm gonna venture a guess you're not from California considering you didn't know what In-N-Out Burger was." Jason had asked earlier if I wanted something to eat and suggested In-N-Out Burger, which I didn't know what that was.

"It's a West Coast chain! We don't have that," I said, defending myself while laughing.

"So you're not from the West Coast?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I'm from New Jersey," I said.

"Wow. You really did move a far way out. Could you tell me why?"

"Jersey was cold and boring. California was perfect. And UCLA was my dream school. A separate campus, not right in the heart of a city, but pretty close to one, surrounded by the beach and two of the most secure neighborhoods. What more could you want?" I asked. He nodded.

"So I'm guessing you like the beach," he said. It was a statement, not a question.

"I do. I love the beach. I could _live _on the beach if I wanted to."

"So were your parents ok with you coming here?" he asked. I frowned.

"Dad was. Mom, not so much. I'm pretty sure my mom hates me right now." I thought back to the first day I was here. No, scratch that. I thought back to the day I got my acceptance letter.

_(Flashback)_

_ I had just walked in from running. I had the most awful day. First, I show up to class late, having gotten the joy of a ten minute lecture from my teacher of how kids now a days had no respect for their teachers and those that were older than them. After the lecture, I tripped over my semi-crush's (I didn't have real crushes. Just slight attractions) bag on my way to my seat and fell. Later that day, my invisibility status was made incredibly known to me when I fell again in the hallway and got stepped on during the mad rush of getting to class. The stepper did not apologize. _

_ Even later, at the end of the day, Emmett decided to take our car without telling me so that he and his bitch of a girlfriend, Carly, could go to the mall. Left with no car and already having missed the bus, I decided to run home. I changed into my shorts and t-shirt, put my headphones in, and started to run home. It was about a half hour jog. When I finally got home, I was tired, sweaty, and all I wanted to do was finish my homework and go to bed. It was Friday, I was a senior in high school, eighteen years old, and I wanted to go to bed early on a Friday night. Every day I was reminded of the fact of how much of a pathetic loser I was. To top off my lousy day, I had just realized I left my books and my bag back in my locker. So I couldn't do my homework. I gave up. I took a shower, slipped into my pajamas and crawled into bed. I was woken up two hours later by Emmett, who was screaming for me from downstairs._

_ "Bella! Come down! We gotta eat dinner!" he yelled. Emmett and his freakin' food. Dad didn't allow anyone to eat unless everyone was at the table. The only exception was when Emmett and I had a big project or test or Mom or Dad was working late. I trudged downstairs and glared at him. _

_ "What the hell do you want?" I asked grumpily. My parents were home from work and my mother gave me a patronizing look. _

_ "Bella, is that any way to sound like a lady? And what did I tell you about looking like a slob for dinner? When we are all together, the least you can do is make yourself look presentable. We spent so much on debutante training. Didn't you learn anything?" I looked down at what I was wearing. I was wearing a dark blue tank top and a pair of shorts. My hair was still wet from my shower and was piled on top of my head. And debutante training was shit. Why the hell did I need to look good in my own house for people who've probably seen me at my worst? My debutante years were the darkest parts of my life. I didn't keep anything from them. _

_ "Sorry, mom. I didn't know you and Dad were home or else I would've changed," I said, giving her exactly what she wanted to hear. I was a legal adult and I still did exactly what my parents told me to do. She nodded._

_ "That's better," she said with a smile. It was fake. Plastic. Kind of like the Barbie dolls she used to buy me that I buried in the backyard. _

_ "Hey, Bella. You got some mail. So did I," Emmett said, pulling out two large envelopes. He handed me the one with my name printed on it. I read the stationary header. _UCLA.

_ "Oh, my, God. Oh, my, God, Emmett! It's from UCLA." I started to hyperventilate. Then I realized…_

_ "Emmett…" I said shakily, my voice ridden with excitement. _

_ "What?" he asked, a little uncertain of my reactions._

_ "The envelopes are big," I whispered. _

_ "What?" he asked. _

_ "The envelopes are big!" I screamed. _

_ "Bella, I don't know all these college-y things like you do. What do big envelopes mean?" he asked. I rolled my eyes. _

_ "Think about it, Emmett. If it was a rejection letter, why would they send it in such a big envelope? They would only send a big envelope if there was more information to share…" Emmett thought for a minute before his eyes widened. _

_ "No shit," he whispered in awe. We both looked at each other before we tore into our envelopes. I pulled out the first paper I saw._

Dear Ms. Bella Swan,

It is with great pleasure that we inform you that you have been accepted…

_That was all I needed. I started screaming and jumping. I ran over to Emmett and hugged him until he couldn't breathe. And that was saying something. He had a huge smile on his face, which obviously meant he was happy with what was happening. _

_ "Emmett, we got into UCLA! We got in! We're going to California!" I screamed, still jumping. I ran to the staircase. _

_ "Dad!" I yelled. He was changing out of his work clothes for dinner. He came running downstairs with a worried look on his face. _

_ "What? What? Is everyone ok?" he asked frantically. _

_ "Dad, Emmett and I got into UCLA!" I yelled. His worried look was soon replaced with a look of pride._

_ "Bella, sweetie, that's fantastic!" he yelled, pulling me into a big hug. Him and I walked into the kitchen where he gave Emmett a handshake and a slap on the back. _

_ "Good job, son. Proud of you." I started to read the rest of my letter. It was almost the same as all my other acceptance letters. It told me how I was chosen out of so and so people and how my abilities could add a great deal to the campus. I flipped it over to check if the weird acceptance stamp they sometimes put on acceptance letters was there. Instead, I found more to the letter. That was weird. They never have double-sided acceptance letters. I read. _

In addition to your acceptance, UCLA would also like to present to you the Santa Clarita Science Scholarship. This scholarship is given to twelve of our accepted applicants who have displayed incredible excellence in the sciences and show a valid interest in pursuing science in their career. This partial scholarship is a four-year commitment in which the college will pay $30,000 of your tuition provided that you keep to the scholarship requirements. This is further explained in a brochure that you will find conveniently located in your packet.

_ I didn't read the rest. I didn't need to. I didn't care what the rest said. The rest would probably be about how special I was getting this scholarship. I didn't need to hear that. The only thing that I cared about was that UCLA was paying about 90% of my tuition. I would only need to pay $10,000. For four years. In total, that's about the same amount I would've paid for one year. I got up and looked at Emmett and Dad. They both had their own look of shock on their faces. Emmett looked at me. _

_ "Football," he whispered in awe. _

_ "Huh?" I asked. _

_ "You remember that scout that was talking to me at homecoming?" he asked. _

_ "You mean the one from the ACFA?" I asked. The American Collegiate Football Academy, or the ACFA, was a prestigious summer program that not only prepared high school football players for college ball, but also gave them the exposure they needed to get noticed by college coaches. Only the best of the best got in._

_ "Yeah. It turns out he's an assistant coach for UCLA and he saw that game. He gave in my stats to the college draft and now…" he trailed off._

_ "Now what?" I asked urgently. He showed me the paper. _

_ "They're offering me a scholarship to play for them," he said with the biggest smile I have ever seen. I put my hand over my mouth and my eyes got wide. Emmett got a football scholarship! He was gonna be a Bruin! Well, if he accepted the scholarship. What was I talking about? How could he _not _accept that?_

_ "How much are they paying for?" I asked. _

_ "$30,000. They said as long as I keep the required GPA, I'm set." Dad looked like he was ready to cry at the prospect of saving so much money. Just a few weeks ago, he was worried about how he was gonna pay for two kids going to college at the same time. Now, he's basically paying the tuition to cover two years for one kid, as opposed to two kids for four years each. _

_ "You two are the most amazing kids a father can ask for," he said, pulling us both in for a hug. My mother stood quietly by the kitchen island. I'd forgotten she was there. _

_ "Mom, how exciting is this?" I exclaimed. "We _both_ scholarships for our dream school!" My mother just stared at me._

_ "What?" I asked. _

_ "I don't think it's a good idea," she mumbled. I raised my eyebrows._

_ "I'm sorry, what?" I asked again. I was pretty sure I didn't hear her properly. She sighed. _

_ "I don't think UCLA is the right choice for you kids. You got into some other really great schools. Why don't we look at those?" she asked. My eyes got wide._

_ "You're kidding, right?" I asked. She was definitely kidding. I knew she was. I mean, I knew she didn't want me to go to UCLA from the start, but no parent would be so stubborn and so stupid to refuse this offer. I waited for her to crack one of those rare smiles meant for me and pull me into a hug and tell me she's proud. Instead, she just looked at me, almost confused. _

_ "Why would I kid? Just think about it. You're not thinking clearly at the moment. You're too overwhelmed with the excitement of getting accepted and getting a scholarship. Bella, sweetheart, you got into Johns Hopkins. You got into Columbia. You got into Duke. How can UCLA compare to any of these schools?"_

_ "Mom, get your head out of the 1980s. The UC's are incredibly prestigious schools. UCLA is one of the best in the country. I thought we went over this when I applied. Do we really need to go through it again?" Ugh, I was sick of this conversation. It was becoming almost a regular occurrence. _

_ "Yes, but I just can't see how moving all the way across the country will benefit you? You have the option of staying close to home and going to an Ivy League school--"_

_ "UCLA _is _an Ivy League," I said through clenched teeth. _

_ "Well, not in the books that count," my mom countered. I could tell that her carefully constructed "cool" was starting to slip. She always believed that yelling was a sign of low class and that better educated people were capable of solving problems without raising their voices. To make her yell would be an honor. _

_ "I don't know what books _you're _reading, but if you read an actual _recent _college rank list, UCLA tops at number 3."_

_ "Yes, but Isabella, you have a reputation to uphold here! You were the girl who was supposed to go off to Johns Hopkins and become a doctor! That was our plan!"_

_ "That was _your _plan! I never wanted that. What the hell are you talking about? You've known for God knows how long that I wanted to go to UCLA. It's not my fault that you decide to be oblivious to a world that doesn't involve tea and gossip at the country club."_

_ "Well, Isabella, whether you like it or not, that is our lifestyle and we need to find our place in it, preferably at the top. What will I tell Mrs. Weston? And Mrs. Davenport? And Mrs. Waverly? Oh, dear God, what shall I tell Mrs. Waverly? That woman is a gossiping monster that brags about every aspect of her life. Did you know her daughter, Lindsey, got into Yale? Oh, I will never hear the end of it," my mother dramatized. _

_ "Mom, I don't give a crap about what Mrs. Weston or Mrs. Davenport or Mrs. Who-Gives-A-Shit think. And as for Lindsey, she probably screwed the admissions officer to get in because there is no way in _hell _she got in the normal way," I said heatedly. _

_ "Isabella Swan! You will watch your language when you talk to me. Act like a lady for once, for God's sake!" my mother scolded. My dad came and put his hands on my mother's shoulders, an act of soothing, but I knew he was trying to restrain her. _

_ "Renee, can you think about this for a minute, please? We've known Bella has wanted to go to this school for a while. And now we can actually afford it for both Bella and Emmett to go. It would be stupid not to send them."_

_ "I'm sure we would have no trouble paying the tuition for another college," my mother said stuffily. I gave a short, harsh, bark of a laugh._

_ "Ha! Mom, you can go to the country club, drink mimosas, and pretend you're an elite all you'd like, but we are in no way as rich as those other people. We are not as rich and Mrs. Weston, we are not as rich as Mrs. Davenport, and we are most _definitely _not as rich as Mrs. Waverly." That was a hard blow. My mom and Mrs. Waverly were a weird couple. Mrs. Waverly was one of my mom's closest friends and her fiercest competitor. They were always at each other's throats to see who was better. And mom was always jealous that Mrs. Waverly beat her in the one thing that actually counted in their competition: wealth. My mother gave me a hard glare. _

_ "If that's the way you feel, then you are obviously not my daughter."_

_(End Flashback)_

"Wow, that's intense," Jason said with a low whistle. I nodded.

"Yeah. And ever since then it's been like a constant battle between me and her. She refused to have anything to do with my going to college. My dad took Emmett and I shopping for our college stuff and Emmett had to forcefully carry my mom to the car for our road trip here. It was bad."

"Must've been. And I thought it was bad when my mom wouldn't let me go to France for the Cannes Film Festival." I giggled and he gave my his trademark blinding smile. It amazed me that in less than a week that I've been here I was already out with the most popular guy in the _country. _Take that New Jersey.

"So enough about my sob story of a life. Where're you taking me?" I asked excitedly.

"Hold on. We're almost there. I used to come here a lot when I was in that whole "struggling-for-my-big-break" phase. I think you might like it." We took a sudden turn off the main road and went down a narrow passage. As we went on, the road started to get sandier and steeped upwards. Soon enough, the road was just sand and the incline was enough to make my back press into the back of my seat.

We turned into a small clearing and Jason put the car in park. I quickly got out and took in the most amazing sight. We were on a cliff. It wasn't incredibly tall but it was enough for oversee the whole ocean. Next to me there was a group of small purple boulders that were laid out in a way where it looked kind of like a platform. It was amazing.

"Jason, it's beautiful. Why did you come here?" I asked,

"I used to live not far from here before my mom and I moved out to Hollywood."

"Where are we now?" I asked.

"We are a little inside in the borders of Malibu, about twenty minutes from campus." My eyes grew wide.

"You used to live in Malibu?"

"Trust me, it's not as awesome as you'd think. It's a total beach town. Unless you lived near Pepperdine or on the east side where all the celebrities lay low, it's not that that glamorous of a town. Most of the time, they were just small beach houses. And not all of us could afford to have the sand taken out of our house every week."

"I thought beach houses were supposed to be, like, I don't know, something people die to live in," I asked.

"The commercialized ones, yeah. That's where all the stars are. The regular ones, not so much."

"Where did you live?"

"In a regular house. It was actually on the smaller side. We were definitely not rich. My dad left us when I was five so my mom supported herself and I pretty much my whole life."

"Do you still talk to your dad?" I asked.

"Not really. I still can't forgive him. I don't forgive that easily. Plus, after what he did to me last year, never again." His eyes grew dark as he talked about his father.

"What did he do?" I asked hesitantly.

"He tried to get back in my life. At first, I was thrilled. I finally had a dad again. And we did everything a father and son could do. We went to a football game, we went fishing, and he even gave me my first beer. I was worried about the whole under-aged thing. He told me 'You're with your dad. As long as your with me, you're safe'. Well that was bullshit."

"What happened?" I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder. He took a really deep breath and smiled.

"You know what? It doesn't even matter. I'm on a date with a beautiful girl and I don't want my father, even if it is just a thought, to be anywhere near this." He wrapped his arms around my shoulder. I smiled and leaned a bit into him. When he was ready, he'd tell me the rest of the story. For now, I was content, here in his arms.

* * *

**Jeez, now you know how much of a bitch Bella's mom really is. You guys, this is literally the story of my life, except I never took debutante lessons. You'll hear about her horrors soon enough :) And what of Mr. Jason Michael Carey? Is he dreamy yet? Well, I guess not. They'll have an official date soon enough. And you'll find out the rest of Jason's story. And Edward? I know some of you are mad that Edward likes her and she met someone else. Just bear in mind that this IS a Bella/Edward story. I have a juicy idea in my head. I just have to stop PROCRASTINATING! **

**By the way, guys, I got 4 reviews for the last chapter. That's kinda pathetic. I know I can't complain because I suck at updating but guys, c'mon, I need some kind of love. So please, REVIEW! It's the big (now orange) button at the bottom of this message! And remember to always Love California**


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